Tronk's Travels

Minister Creek...... Gotcha Back!

2010-06-08T19:44:00.008-04:00

So my friend Mark, his sons Preston and Clayton and step-son Kevin headed to Minister Creek on the weekend before Memorial Day to hike the trail. This was the first ever backpacking trip for the four of them, so it was very exciting. For me, it was the first time back since hurting my knee in January. We had some rain, some warm weather, and memories that will last a lifetime!

Clayton, Kevin, and Preston on the way to the trail!

Mark and Clayton starting out up the "hill"

Some weird wormy thing......

Newt?????

On the Overlook in the Pouring Rain

A wet lunch break under a giant overhang!

Just before camp..... everyone ready for a break?

Home Sweet Home!

Tronk inside the tent drying out!

Mark on the bridge.....

Mark and the boys.... almost done

Kevin "putting out the fire"

Hiking out.....

Tronk on the trail

Minister Creek Rocks Awesome!

The Pump House....

The Sawmill..... Good Eats!

The Ride Home..... Kevin is lying down in the back!

So we had a great time.... we met a lot of nice people on the trail in the rain, including a bunch of young ladies who termed themselves HAGS..... High Adventure Girl Scouts. We shared some laughs with the people we met on the trail, and were impressed with the tenacity of those out there in the rain with us.

The boys did great and are looking forward to their next trip. As for me, the knee held up and me and Mark are planning higher adventures!

As a point of importance.... we ate at the Sawmill Restaurant on our way home. Great food, great prices, and after you are done stuffing yourself, ICE CREAM! I haven't eaten there in about 25 years, but it was everything I remembered and more.

Until next blog..... the training continues!

Back in the Saddle..... er sort of.

2010-05-21T15:25:00.006-04:00

Tronk - Happy On the Trail!

Well the past few weeks have been busy. I have started working out in full and doing a lot of cross training. Over these few weeks I have started the P90X program, started feeling good while in the water swimming, and have had a few good bike rides. The running is coming slowly….. as there is still pain in the knee when I am running any distance or downhill. It wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t hurt and swell for two days following the run. For now the strategy is to do shorter runs and build my tolerance and running strength back up to where it was.

I did manage to get in a YUT-C loop that entailed about 50% walking and 50% running. I enjoyed being in Mill Creek Park and took in all the cool sights. Last week I worked out for nearly 10 hours, so I was happy to average almost an hour and a half per day!

When you sit on a couch in January with your entire leg wrapped up following knee surgery, you hope for days like these. Some pictures of Mill Creek Park.....

On Friday May 14th, my wife, daughter, brother, niece and her friend traveled to Pittsburgh to see Sugarland in concert. It was my first country music concert and I had a lot of fun. They know how to give a good show and we all enjoyed ourselves tremendously.

SUGARLAND

Kyrsti and Macie

Tronk and the Better Half

The Group - Tronk, Brother Steve, Aubrey, Macie, & Kyrsti

Over the next few weeks the plan is to keep the cross training going along with some weight training to get my strength back up. I talked with Brian Musik last night about him completing the MMT100 last weekend. What an accomplishment! I am not sure I will ever get to that point, but it may be something down the road I may have to try. For now, I will set my goals on another 50K and some shorter trail runs and my favorite road races.

Congrats Brian! You Rock Dude!

Caution - The Trail Will Bite if Provoked!

Tronk again..... Happy at Mill Creek

If you ever have heard the saying, if you fall off the horse, get back on. Well this weekend I am heading to the Kinzua Dam area with my friend Mark and his soms to backpack the Minister Creek Trail. Yep - the same trail I tore the meniscus on in January. I am going back to bite the dog that bit me...... Stay tuned for pictures and story!

A Week in the Life of TRONK...........

2010-05-05T20:12:00.008-04:00

The last couple of weeks have been very interesting, busy and a lot of fun. I got to start working out last Monday, so I decided to go for a walk/run to see how things would go. I have heard that running is a lot like riding a bike. Once you learn how, you don’t forget. Well the first time I started running, somehow it felt weird. I wasn’t sure if I was waiting for pain, pleasure or somewhere in between but every time I took a step I was waiting for that agony to come, a lot like when the dentist is drilling in your mouth. I did a walk/run for about 30 minutes and was satisfied with the effort.

With that behind me and me feeling pretty good, Tuesday night my friend Mark and I went out to ride the bike trail from Mineral Ridge to Canfield and back. It is about 22 miles round trip and I was up for the challenge. It was a bit cold but once we got going we were plenty warm. We rode out nice and smooth and felt great. Once we turned around we realized we were riding into a head wind and drafted off of each other to return to the Ridge efficiently as possible. I was good and tired after the ride but two good workouts in a row felt great after 4 months of layoff.

Wednesday I headed to the YMCA in Youngstown to swim with Sue, who is one of the ladies, I coach with in the winter swim season. She had a nice little workout in mind so we swam about 1700 yds. in 45 minutes. Sue then went on to teach swim lessons and I drove home and got in another 30 minute walk/run, this time walking about 10 minutes and running 20. The knee still felt pretty good.

Thursday my brother and I hit the links and played 14 holes of golf in Hubbard. I hit the ball often so I figure I had a decent day of work. It was a day off of the pounding on the knee and I enjoyed every one of the 100 or so strokes I took (I am big on practice swings – but I don’t always see the benefit).

Friday we were preparing to leave for Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling WVA so I came home from work early and got a straight 25-minute run in. I was feeling it a bit in my knee so I decided I would do nothing but walk on Saturday at the track meet.

Kyrsti ran the steeplechase Friday night and although it was not the time she was looking for, she broke her personal best and lowered the school record at the same time (she is the record holder for this event at Seton Hill). We were very proud of her!

While in Wheeling we stayed at the Spring Hill Marriott, which sits a top of a giant hill in Wheeling. The views are awesome and from one side of the hotel it overlooks the track.

Saturday Morning we headed to the Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville Ohio. Kyrsti was not slated to run until 3:00 or so in the afternoon so after our complimentary breakfast we headed back to Ohio for the mall. I am not a big shopper but I had fun walking around, stretching my legs and doing one of my favorite hobbies; people watching.

As we were finishing up our ‘Tour De Mall’ a young girl approached me and asked if I would participate in a survey and she would pay me some cold hard cash. I reluctantly said yes and the questions began. As Taylor and Pam were standing there, they both agreed to participate in the survey also. My girls name was Kasey and she refused to have her picture taken for this report. In fact, she had never heard of a blog or the Internet for that matter. Pam was questioned by Mitzy (only in WVA) and a young man with a ponytail down to his rear end interviewed Taylor. After we provided them with some preliminary info, they took us into the office and presented us with eye tests and product placement to see what would catch our eyes at the grocery store. It was kind of neat and kind of scary at the same time. After we completed the surveys, Taylor and I were paid $6.00 each and Pam was paid $9.00 (because she was a female in between the ages of 23 and 50 and had bought a roll of paper towel in the last 3 months).

We then grabbed a bite to eat and headed to the track meet to watch Kyrsti run the 5K. It was getting hot and was very sunny and I knew it was going to be difficult for her. We encouraged both her and her friend Andra to do well. As we were waiting for the race, an elderly man collapsed and the ambulance and fire truck responded.

The race soon started and Kyrsti was on pace for several laps but I think the heat got to her and she slowed down considerably. Several girls in the race were seeded to run sub 19:00 minute 5K’s but no one was breaking 19:00 today. Kyrsti finished 9th overall, was seeded 11th and had a time of 20:45. It was not her best but given the conditions this was very respectable. She made her daddy very proud the way she supported her teammate Andra who ran her last race as a senior at SHU.

We got home late Saturday night and I planned on running in the morning at Mill Creek. At about 10:00 am Sunday morning I headed to the park and started my run around Lake Newport, on the side of the road in sort of the gravel trail that runs along the road. My pace was slow and I was planning on running until it either got uncomfortable or I got too tired – whichever came first. I ran for about 30 minutes before I took my first walk break. I adjusted my brace, had a little drink, and started running again slowly. I felt really good and decided to jump on the trail for a bit. It was very difficult to maneuver over the rocks and roots with the brace so I power walked the trail and got back on the road at the first chance. Once I returned to the covered bridge, I ran down the road section to the Silver Bridge and returned to the Mill on the trail (walking most of it again). I went for 66 minutes and was feeling pretty darn good about myself!

Monday morning I woke up with some swelling and tenderness on my newly surgically repaired knee. I took some vitamin I, attended drills at the Fire Dept. and took some more vitamin I before bed. Pam and I walked for 30 minutes Monday night around town and tonight we walked for 40 minutes and it doesn’t feel too bad. Hopefully tomorrow I will be out again. Stay Tuned!

A "Walk-a-Bout"

2010-04-13T20:07:00.005-04:00

So the above picture is my new exercise uniform. I have been walking about 3-4 miles per day at a fairly good clip but nothing compares to a good run. Unfortunately, I had a follow-up with the surgeon today and running will not come soon enough. I will be walking for about another 2 weeks and then introduce running slowly and as tolerated.

As you can see in the picture, my knee is still slightly swollen but this is expected for 15 days post-surgery. Dr. Shannon said that recovery is moving along fine and that everything is normal. A little bit of vitamin I for mild discomfort but other than that all is going well.

The Hockey Rink

Over this past weekend, my wife Pam and I traveled to Neville Island in Pittsburgh to watch my daughter Kyrsti run at Robert Morris University. This complex houses an indoor driving range, several hockey rinks and gymnasiums. It is really a nice set-up and everything is brand new.

The hills surrounding the complex

The driving range

So the plan is to continue power walking for the next two weeks and gradually add short distances of running into the walk. Doc told me to take this slowly as the meniscus continues to heal. I hope to make it to Mill Creek this weekend for a long walk in the park. When you can't enjoy running, you start to go a bit crazy. Hopefully the park will be all the therapy I need!

Stay tuned as the recovery continues!!!!!!!!

Frosty Nipple - Torn Meniscus 2010

2010-03-30T19:06:00.006-04:00

TRONK ON THE MOUNTAIN

JONATHAN COMING UP THE MOUNTAIN

THE "PUMP-HOUSE"?? WHERE'S THE BEER!

On January 30 we headed to the Minister Creek Trail to do some backpacking on a trip that has become affectionately known as the "Operation Frosty Nipple". I should have realized that the word "operation" was the one I should have been concerned about.

On the coldest weekend of the year, ten of us adventurous souls decided we would camp and hike the trail located near the Kinzua Dam. Sounds fun right? Well you betcha it was! The biggest problem we had was remaining on the trail, as there was so much snow there was no trail to find anywhere. We decided we would do some "off-piste" hiking and found it to be a lot of fun and very adventurous. As you can see, the Minister Creek Trail has a lot to offer and we took full advantage of the small crowds and no one trying to jump in front of us in line to see the rocks and snow before us.

The Boys in the Crevice

SCOOTER the Dog

So we were moving along slowly and enjoying every single footstep as we slipped, slid and gripped to keep from falling. We laughed at each others missteps and were having a lovely time making fun of the nine other fools we were with on this cold afternoon. There is no room for thin skin with this crowd, as whining gets you ridiculed and ostracized from the group.

We walked along the top of the mountain and made sure to hit all of the crevices and cool rock formations before deciding to descend to the bottom and follow the creek back to camp. We had been walking for about 4 hours but most of this time involved playing in the snow and Keith's son Mark explaining all the rock holes and stuff to us. He is kind of like Euell Gibbons...... I think he may have even eaten a few pieces of nature along the way... mmmmmmmmmm

Anyway, as I was coming down the mountain, I stepped with my right foot and then my left. When I went to move the right it did not come out of the ground. So imagine if you will me with my right foot stuck in the ground and my left foot in the air to take the next step going down a mountain. Have you ever had physics? Force + bad stuff = pain. Remember that formula?

My right knee hyper-extended..... or as they say in the medical field BENT BACKWARDS! OUCH!!!!!!!!! Yep, that's what I said.... especially after I got my left foot in front of me and on the ground so I could push back up to get my right knee to go the other direction - like the way it is supposed to go! A total of three POPS...... one going forward and two going back. I will never understand the math of that, but it sounded like putting your finger in your mouth, pulling your cheek, and making that popping sound.

Man I knew I did some damage right away because it hurt like a real son-of-a-gun. We were about two miles from camp so I hobbled along with my friend Keith and made sure not to say that I jacked my knee up to too many people. Remember, no sissies in this crowd.

When I returned home from the Operation Frosty Nipple, I told my wife what had happened and decided that when I woke up in the morning this would all go away. I took some Ibuprofen and went to bed. In the morning I awoke to find my knee had doubled in size. I went into work and decided to call my family doctor Howard Slemons. He got me right in and was amazed at my story. He sent me for x-rays which came back negative but he suspected I had some internal damage so he referred me to an orthopedic..... Dr. Brian Shannon who works out of Sharon Regional Health Center.

Long story short, MRI confirmed a torn Medial Meniscus, or as Dr. Shannon said a "complex tear" and possibly some MCL strain. Surgery was scheduled for March 25 at Sharon Regional. Dr. Shannon is a pretty cool guy and he took great care of me! Turns out he played football at Notre Dame and was on the 1988 National Championship team with the Rocket Ishmail. Small world huh? Got his autograph for free on a bunch of stuff.... like prescriptions, return to work slips, FMLA slips...... maybe I can sell all of this stuff on E-bay to pay for surgery?? ha ha ha That is if I don't mind disclosing all of my personal health info to the entire e-bay buying public.

So over the next several months I plan on documenting what I hope will be a great comeback to my 2010 season. You get bummed when you can't do stuff and so I am working on a "bucket list" for the upcoming year. I hope to go for my first "walk" tomorrow....... 6 days post surgical.

Here are a couple pictures of my knee post-surgical........ UGHHH!!!!!

Until next time my friends...... the road to recovery begins tomorrow!

Bad Blogger

2008-09-07T21:02:00.004-04:00

Okay, to catch up on old times, I know....... I am a bad blogger. Hopefully I will do better. Not to make excuses but I was having computer problems along with the fact that I type about 10 wpm. Those together make for a BAD BLOGGER!Here is what I have been up to.

For the last 86 days I have been running at least 25 minutes everyday. Some days are longer than that but none are shorter. I have found myself running at 4:30 in the morning and 11:00 at night to keep the streak alive. I have never been a big fan of "making" myself run, but if it weren't for forcing this habit, some days I would not run at all when I should. So in the next two weeks I will approach my milestone of 100 days.

This being said, my son Taylor's streak is 366 days ahead of mine and he is approaching his 2000 mile for the year! I average about 29 miles per week but most of my runs right now occur at practice for the McDonald Junior High cross country team. I try to get a longer run in on the weekends and so far I have felt fine.

We attended my daughter's first cross country meet of the season last week and she had a fourth place finish. She ran well and she seemed strong throughout the race. It is nice to see your summer work pay off. Here is a video of the start of the race:

Here are some other pictures that I have been waiting to upload:

Progressive Field View from Our Hotel

Tronk, Bill Rogers, and Taylor

Bill, Taylor and Bart Yasso

Kyrsti "after race" and smiling!

Kyrsti and Pavlo - her boyfriend!

The Week Before; The Week Of; and The Day of the Race

2008-05-21T14:31:00.005-04:00

Well I held off writing week 17 for a couple reasons. The first is I worked way too much. The second is, I felt like crap and was trying to ignore it. My legs were both sore and I developed a sinus infection, so the thrill of running a marathon became more of trying to get myself better to make the run as best as I could.

From May 5-11 (week 17) I only ran three times and struggled on two of the three runs. The muscle behind my left knee was so tight and sore that I could barely stretch it out in front of me and actually felt like I was limping while running. I managed a 4 mile run, a 2 ½ mile run and a 7 mile run. I decided that was enough.

During the final week (May 12-18) I decided I would run twice and that would be it. I did two four mile runs early in the week and actually my legs did not feel too bad. Unfortunately, I developed a sinus infection and that zapped me of a lot of energy. I rested up Thursday, Friday and Saturday and prepared for my run on Sunday morning in Cleveland.

My whole family traveled to Cleveland on Saturday afternoon and checked in at the Hilton Garden Hotel right next to Progressive Field. We had a great view of the stadium and were not too far from the start of the race.

After checking in we went to the Expo Center and checked in for the race. This year the race director chose to use a new “chip” technology that is disposable. It fastens to the lace of your shoe and at the end of the race you throw it away. Taylor and I got out goody bags and then went in to peruse the vendor area. We walked around the whole Expo looking at all the new stuff out for runners and bought some stickers and stuff like that.

Just as we were getting ready to leave the Expo, we ran into Bill Rodgers. Bill is a really nice guy and we talked for a bit. I reminded him that I met him in Youngstown a few years ago at the Peace Race but I got the idea he did not remember me. We shared some laughs and I told him that this was Taylor’s first marathon and he wished him well.

Bill then introduced us to Bart Yasso, who is another well known distance runner. Bart has run all over the world and is probably best know for a workout known as the Yasso 800’s. The Yasso 800’s are essentially a track workout for distance runners to increase speed and endurance. I did them once and remember how hard they were. Bart was another great guy who talked with us for a while and wished us both well. Taylor ended up buying Bart’s book and has since finished it.

After the Expo we went back to the hotel and crashed for about an hour. I then called my cousin Brian and we drove to his house to meet him for dinner. Brian had picked a small Italian place called Pepper’s in Lakewood that was recommended to him by several of his co-workers. They had a table and sat us immediately. We laughed at the sign that said maximum occupancy 28. It was a real small place! Pepper’s had great authentic Italian food with great service. We were all stuffed when we walked out the door. Brian did good and I thanked him for doing his homework.

After returning to the city from dinner we drove to make sure we knew where the start was. We also ventured down to Cleveland Brown’s stadium, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Science Center. All of them were closed but we checked out the area.

Sunday morning came early and it was raining hard. I showered and woke Taylor up to let him know the weather forecast – RAIN! We went about out morning routines and prepared for a long wet run. I pulled my favorite red “Headsweats” hat out of my bag. It is my signature for running in the rain and I was glad I brought it.

We ate a quick light breakfast (A Power Bar and a Bottle of Gatorade) and headed for the nearest parking lot to the start of the race. When we got out of the car I would describe it as pouring. The four of us huddled under two umbrellas and we hustled down the street to where the action was. It took us about 10 minutes to walk to the line and we got there about 6:45. Taylor and I shook hands, wished each other well, and headed to our respective areas within the crowd. Taylor went forward to the 2:55 group and I went backward to the 4:00 hour group.

As we stood there for what seemed an eternity, it seemed like the rain got harder and harder. I was getting soaked and so was everyone else. At about 7:05 they finally started the race. It took me about a minute and a half to reach the actual start line and that is where I started my watch.

The pace started out slowly because of the crowd and I was happy to run along easily. I was stretching out my sore leg and actually enjoyed jogging along through the city streets. After a short while it thinned some and we started to get in those comfortable pace groups that seem to form at every large race. Each person moved along in their own world, some talking, most not, and some with the look on their face like why am I out here running in the rain. I jogged along taking in all the sites of the city.

When I reached the 10k point I was right on pace at about 53:00 minutes. I remember thinking that I would be fine if I just stayed relaxed and ran easy. In my mind I wanted to be at 1 hour 30 minutes for 10 miles, 3 hours for 20 miles and then whatever it took to cover the last 10k. At 10 miles I was at 1:29.00 and I smiled to myself. The next 10 miles got a little harder and I reached the 20 mile at 3 hours and 3 minutes.

I was now in the heart of the race and the rain had stopped and the sun and wind decided to join in the fun. I was getting tired and we reached probably the worst part of the race. Down along the edge of the lake and between the highway is a road that cuts along the airport. It was here that I really decided I hated this run. The headwinds picked up to about 15-20 mph and the fatigue set in quickly. Everyone that I was running with began to slow down, including me. I could not move any faster and the conditions were not helping.

I pressed on to the next water stop and walked for about 2 minutes. My legs were on the verge of major cramping and I wasn't sure how hard I wanted to push it. I looked at my watch when I reached mile 23 and I was at 3:35.00. I then knew that being under 4 hours was most likely not going to happen. I jogged and walked some for the next couple miles with my shoes squishing and squeeking with every step. When I finally reached the end of the road we made a sharp left turn and went up a hill. I was never so glad to see a hill.

I pushed up the hill and stretched my calves as I went. It felt good. I told myself "NO MORE WALKING TODAY" and pressed along slowly. Every time I would try to go faster I would feel a cramp in my right groin area and in my left calf behind my knee. I decided to jog as fast as I could and not walk. It was ugly but I was moving.

After we made a turn in the city I heard one of the volunteers yell out, "One more turn and a half mile to the finish" Those were magical words. I ran with determination but careful not to let a cramp catch me in the last half mile.

I turned the corner, saw the finish line and smiled. It is the greatest feeling knowing it will all be over soon. I made my way along and just prior to getting to the line I saw my wife and daughter there cheering me on. I crossed the line with a finish time of 4:12.57 and was very content with that.

As I walked through the recovery area I saw Taylor standing along the fence. I gave him the thumb's up and he returned it to me. I said "Boston?" and he shook his head no. Taylor had run his first marathon ever in 3:23.00 and he was happy too.

He came in to join me and we grabbed some food and drinks. I was exhausted and we headed for the car.

No one can explain the feeling each person has on a long run, whether it is 20 miles, a marathon or ultra-marathon. You find out a lot about yourself. You dig deep and find strength in areas that you did not know you have. As for me, I was thrilled to have run in a marathon along with my son in his first. I know it was a special day for him and we talked about it all the way home. I hope to run many more races with my kids and I have already promised my daughter to join her in her first marathon.

Week 16 - Pain in my leg is a pain in the butt!

2008-05-08T11:43:00.000-04:00

I am late writing my report. It was a fairly decent week but I have been down since my 20 mile run. My legs are sore and I have some pain and discomfort behind my left knee that makes it difficult to fully extend my leg while I run. I have stretched, used Ibuprofen and have decided to try and take a few days off to see if it helps. I am fearful of starting a marathon feeling like this.

In the past week, I walked/ran on Monday for a total of 25 minutes. That was after I hobbled around all day at work. My leg feels like a constant charley horse. I took off Tuesday and Wednesday and jogged for about 30 minutes on Thursday with some pain but not as much as Monday. On Friday I walked again and stretched trying to loosen this knot up in my leg.

Saturday morning, Kyrsti, Taylor and I went to Mill Creek to run in the rain. Taylor chose to run on his own and Kyrsti decided graciously to run with her “old man”. I was happy because I wasn’t feeling it and left to my own devices I may have called it an early day. The goal was to do two loops from the Lily Pond up to the Mill and back on the roads and add Bear’s Den loop onto the end. It was a 7.5 mile loop with a stop at the car half way.

Kyrsti and I started out slowly. The first 30 steps for me were the hardest. By the time we started climbing up to the East Cohasset Trail my leg was stiff but feeling somewhat better. Climbing hills is easier than running down hills or running flats. I can’t explain it but I am sure it has to do with angles and technical stuff. I just know when it hurts and when it sucks!

The rain was steady and never let up the whole morning. In fact, there were times when it rained harder. I loved every wet minute of it. I love watching the water drip from the brim of my hat. I would shake my head occasionally just to see the drops fall off. Kyrsti and I moved along nicely and with some good conversation I hardly noticed my leg. We got to the Mill and I remembered that on the Google Maps it was about 4 miles to this point. I looked at my watch and we were at 31:00. Not bad I thought…… 7:45 miles at what felt like a very leisurely pace climbing almost the entire way.

When we got almost all the way around Kyrsti told me she was only doing one lap. I kind of knew that before we started. She also opted out of Bear’s Den so at the three-way split we said goodbye and up I went. I pushed this section somewhat hard to see if the uphill climb/leg theory still held true. It did. I went all the way to the top and around the road by the cabin. It was pouring now but I was feeling pretty good. I gingerly made my way back down the long hills and headed towards the car.

I got to the car, changed into a dry top, put on my iPod for the second loop, refilled the water bottle, and ate 3 Oreo cookies. Off I went, but this time the other way around. I was running okay but realized the stop was not good for my leg. I slowed a bit and waited until I got to Big Bear.

At the bottom of Big Bear I started to press again. I wasn’t going fast but I was determined to run this hill with some determination. Before I knew it I was at the top and thinking that wasn’t so bad. I remembered about 15 weeks ago I would have walked up that hill.

My leg again started to feel okay. I made my way to the Mill and got an encouraging beep and a thumbs up from guy passing by in a car. I don’t know if I knew him or he knew me but I waved anyway. Maybe he was another nut out running in this rain and thought I needed a little pick me up.

Before I knew it I was heading toward Lake Glacier and was about done with my run. I was feeling pretty good and I was looking at the split of my first loop, which was 1:01.00 from where I left Kyrsti at the three-way split. I had taken another split there on my second loop just to check my pace. As I was crossing the bridge at the end of Glacier I was at 57:00. I knew I could get in a negative split easily so I thought about maintaining my pace all the way to the car. As I crested the hill and rounded the bend I could see Taylor sitting in “Elle” waiting for me. I smiled and finished the run. I was soaked and finished the second loop in 59:30.

On Sunday I ran easily in the morning but was extremely stiff and sore. I stretched after my run and will start stretching and taking Ibuprofen more regularly. I have to shake this before May 18.

Here are the numbers:

Minutes Run/Walk – 280 minutes
Long Run = 15 miles
Pain in my leg is a pain in the butt!
Weight = 197.

Next week will be easier than originally planned. I got to rehab!

15 Will Get You 20!

2008-04-29T14:46:00.001-04:00

A Couple of Runner Dudes!

I was thinking big this week for running. But underlying it all, I was thinking of a 20 mile run or bust. It was something that I had to do or my confidence going into the marathon would not be too good.

I had several short runs around town during the week that amounted to about 12 miles. What I was focused on the whole week was doing a solid 20 miles in Mill Creek Park on Saturday. Taylor and I got up early on Saturday and made it to the park by about 8:15. It was somewhat cool but I knew it was going to warm up fast.

The run would consist of two loops from Lanterman’s Mill to 224 and back. Each loop is 9 miles and then I would add the hills for the last 2 miles. In my mind, this would add a little challenge and a little fun to my legs at the end of the run.

Taylor started out going the opposite direction again and would run around to me. I was planning on running conservatively after last weekends “bonk”. I did not want to go too fast and feel like crap at the end. The weather was perfect. It was sunny, cool, breezy, and occasionally the sun would go behind the clouds and things would cool off. I couldn’t have asked for a better day.

I traveled along without much trouble and enjoyed seeing countless runners, cyclists, dog walkers and everyone else out using the park. I thought about how many times I had made this run in the dead of winter with absolutely no one else around. Now that it is spring, people have once again discovered the beauty of the park.

Before I knew it Taylor was coming the other way towards me and soon he turned around to join me going in my direction. We ran together to the edge of the golf course and soon he was gone as fast as he came. I plodded along. As I ran along with other people on the hike/bike trail, I came upon Tom Gratonic and his daughters out running. Tom is the Branch Manager at the Davis YMCA and I have known him for years. He is also a very good local runner. I was stopped eating some GU and he asked me what I was up to. I told him I was about 5 miles into it and had about 15 more to go. He wished me well and I was on my way.

I ran easily back along Lake Newport and made my way back to the car in about 1 hr. 21 minutes or about 9 minute miles. Just perfect I thought for pace. I fueled at the car, talked to Taylor a bit and then headed back out in the opposite direction. Taylor chose to run towards Lake Cohasset and run some hills and maybe catch up to the McDonald high school boys. I ran along Newport and again enjoyed the weather. It had warmed up some but was still nice overall.

Once I got to the hike/bike trail I was amazed at how many people were now on this thing. It was almost hard to run without saying excuse me while squeezing between people. It was really great to see this many people out exercising!

Soon I was back over by the golf course and caught myself watching a foursome tee off. I jogged along watching where the ball landed and thinking it was a pretty good drive. I reached Shields Road and crossed over and immediately got onto an old trail I ran on years ago. I followed it and came out by the Newport boat docks. Back onto the road I ran into another guy who asked me if I was going all the way around the lake. I said, “no, just to the Mill”. He smirked and ran with me for a bit before picking it up and leaving me behind.

Just as I approached the Mill for the last time, Taylor was again coming back around toward me and asked how I was feeling. My left leg had started to cramp and I was starting to feel the 18 miles. I was not going to let a little stiffness stop me so we crossed Canfield Road and made our way down towards Chestnut Hill.

We talked and ran easily as Taylor had probably covered about 23 miles already. Just prior to reaching Chestnut Hill, a trail cuts off to the right and we took it. We got on the trail and ran along the river until we reached the Silver Bridge. After crossing over the bridge we ran along the road and got back on the trail at the bottom of the Monkey Trail. We ran along the other side of the river again all the way up to the decking. Once we reached the deck, we decided to walk up to the car and use this last bit as a cool down.

I was tired but not exhausted. I had covered 20 miles in about 2 hrs. 54 minutes so I was pretty happy with this. My goal is to be under 4 hours for the marathon so I think that is very attainable.

20 Mile Foot "OUCH!!!!!"

On Sunday the stiffness in my right leg had gotten worse so I elected to walk with my wife. We strolled around town for about 2 miles and my leg felt somewhat better. We also traveled to Seton Hill on Sunday to watch Kyrsti be inducted into the Honor Society. After the ceremony, we went to the Texas Roadhouse and indulged with a huge lunch/dinner. I was still full Monday morning! Kyrsti with her Honors Award

Here are the numbers:
34 miles for the week
290 minutes of running
Long Run 20 miles
Weight before long run = 198
Weight after long run = 194

This week I hope to get my left leg loosened up and do a 15 mile run with hills to give a little extra effort! Nice and slow.

A Month to Go.......

2008-04-22T10:14:00.001-04:00

Week 14 went okay. I planned on doing about 35 miles and ended up with 33. I had several short runs around town early in the week and had planned on a 20 mile run on Saturday morning on the Bike Trail in Champion. My son Taylor decided to join me as he too wanted a long run.

The plan was to start mid-way on the bike path, run out 7.1 miles to route 305, and then turn around and head back to the car (14.2 miles). We would then re-fuel etc. and head in the opposite direction and run 3.2 miles to route 88 and turn around for a total of 20.6 miles. I had never been on this trail and thought it would be a good way to track my miles. What I did not take into consideration was the lack of tree coverage this early in the spring and the temperatures rising to nearly 80 degrees.

We started out slowly and planned on running a moderate pace. After about a ½ mile, Taylor said he was going to run his pace and pulled away from me. I plodded down the bike path looking at all the swamp land and bare trees next to the trail. This was about it for scenery. It all looked the same. The trail is essentially a straight, flat line with nothing really to look at and NO MILE MARKERS. I knew this was going to be a long day after the first few miles.

When I got to about a mile or so away from route 305, I saw Taylor coming the other way. He got to me and decided he would turn around and run back with me to 305. W jogged and talked about the run, lack of scenery and the excess of bugs. Not a good combination! We reached 305 in 1:01.00 and I was pretty happy with the pace, about 8:30 or so and I had taken two pee breaks so all in all not too bad. My left hamstring was tight so I sprawled out on the picnic table and stretched out.

After a few minutes we were on our way back. Taylor pulled away and I told him I would see him at the next turn around. I jogged along by myself and started to notice how hot it had become. There were parts of the trail that were completely in the sun and were very hot. After a few miles I saw Taylor standing by the trail stretching out. He said he was cramping and so he jogged along with me for a while. Then once again, he pulled away and I plugged along.

Somewhere in the next mile or so I got attacked by a swarm of little black bugs and one of the little kamikaze’s crashed into my eyeball – a direct hit. I was paralyzed. This little bugger not only hit his target but felt like he was digging in. I stopped and started to try and dig him out. The harder I tried the worse it got. I was starting to worry that he was going under my contact! As I walked and dug, a cyclist coming the other way happened by and could tell from my body language and facial expressions that something was wrong. He stopped and helped and after a few moments the pesky invader was removed ~ still alive and kicking until I squashed the little perpetrator between my fingers. I thanked the guy over and over!

I started running again but the temperatures were increasingly warming up. I was now covered in salt and just about out of fluids. I moved along slowly thinking about the water and drinks in the car. After 1:06.00 I returned to the car to find Taylor sitting in the shade under the shelter. I asked him how he felt and he said “it’s a four letter word that starts with an s and ends with t” We decided we were both done for the day. I returned home, showered and felt nauseous for the rest of the day. I was totally dehydrated and three pounds lighter than when I left in the morning.

Just when you think you’re done, good things happen. Saturday afternoon my friend Brian Musick calls and asks if I want to run on Sunday. I say yes and we agree to meet at West Branch State Park for an enjoyable paced run.

After meeting in the parking lot of the West Boat dock, Brian says he thought he saw blue blazes on a tree down the road and we can pick up the Buckeye Trail from there. Neither of us had run this section of the BT so we decided it will make a worthy adventure. Just in the first few miles we found a dead snake, a vertebral column out of a deer, a slug and a whole bunch of mud and water. It was a great time. The trail is in very good shape and has about 10 creek crossings, each that present a different challenge.

We ran along until the trail reached a road and we followed the blazes up the road for a short while. When we realized the trail was going to stay on the road longer than we would have liked, we decided it would be a good time to turn around. We ran the trail back to the car and enjoyed crossing the creeks and the mud all over again. There is something about when you know you are almost done that you stop worrying about getting wet and muddy and just run right through it. That’s just what I did. It was a blast!

We ended up covering 10 miles in about 2 ½ hours which was just what the doctored ordered after Saturdays crash and burn. It was fun, relaxing, soft surface and very enjoyable. Brian and I shared a beverage in the parking lot after the run and then headed home. All in all, it was a decent week.

Here are the numbers:
Miles Run 33
Long Run 14.2
Minutes Run 345
Scariest moment: Bonking at 14 miles 4 weeks before the marathon!
Goal this week: 20 miles or 3 ½ hours of running – whichever comes first!

Week 13 - You Know What I Mean!

2008-04-16T11:03:00.000-04:00

Week 13 was good, but not as good as I had hoped. The week consisted of running in McDonald on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Each run was of about 4-5 miles and was run at about a 7:45 pace.

The “funny” of the week was on Saturday morning before leaving for Kyrsti’s track meet at Slippery Rock University. I told my wife Pam I was running to the bank and when I came back 35 minutes later she asked where I had been. I said that I “ran” to the bank in Girard. Anyway, it was a beautifully clear morning and I enjoyed running across the viaduct to the neighboring city.

At Slippery Rock Kyrsti ran in the 3000m Steeple Chase again and also the 1500m. She is not running the times she would like, but she smiles after each race and is happy to still be competing. Accompanying us on the trip to the “Rock” were my son Taylor and his friend Sophia and Kyrsti’s friend Paul. After the meet we all ate at Hoss’s in Grove City.

On Sunday the plan was to run 20 miles in Mill Creek. I decided I would run the section around Cohasset and Glacier and include the trip up Bear’s Den to add on a few extra miles. Once I reached the Mill I planned on going to 224 and back and that would be right around 20 miles.

Word to the wise……. Sometimes plans change.

I got out of the car to a steady cold drizzle and about 36 degrees. The Weather Channel showed no rain before I left the house, but here I stood in a weather vacuum of some sort as it steadily drizzled. No big deal I thought as I put the hat on along with the Under Armor jacket. I optimistically figured that it would quit and that it would clear up.

I made my way towards Glacier and my legs felt dead. I wanted to run the hillier section of the park while I was fresh and then enjoy the flats for the second half. I have done it the other way around before but it really sucks. I pressed on and after a while did not feel too bad. My legs were loosening some and I was feeling okay. The rain continued.

I was to Lake Glacier in no time and decided to visit Fellowship Gardens. They are getting prepared for the season but I was happy to find the bathroom open. Sometimes the littlest things bring joy in life. I made my way along and soon I was heading up Bear’s Den counting each step. I enjoy this part of the park but it is a difficult climb. In fact, it may be the hardest climb on the roads in the park. When I got to the top I detoured around the loop by the Bear’s Den Cabin and climbed out of the hole and back onto the main road. It rained on.

I ran along Cohasset and up Big Bear and made my way back to the car. I changed water bottles and took in a GU. I had in a little over 10 miles and was set for the run to 224. I started running and noticed that since I had stopped the discomfort in my right upper inner leg had come back. I had this pain about week or so ago but had not noticed it lately. I don’t know how to describe it other than something like “hip fatigue”. It doesn’t feel like a cramp or muscle pull, but just discomfort. I decided the flats at an easy pace may do it some good so I backed off the speed and focused on making my leg feel better.

I ran along the straight side of Lake Newport first and was watching the ducks and geese land and take-off on the water. It was great except for the fact that now the steady drizzle had turned into a mild downpour. Water was dripping off the brim of my hat and my leg wasn’t feeling any better. When I got to Shields Road, I had a decision to make. Go around to 224 or cut back and head towards the car. If I headed back I would have about 15 miles in. If I went to 224, I would get my 20. I opted for the conservative side as I don’t want to get sick or injured this close to the marathon.

I ran back to the car in the steady rain and finished the 15 miles in 2:09.00. I was happy with the time but more concerned about the way my leg was feeling. I decided stretching was in order when I got home. I will definitely be more vigilant about this for the next several weeks leading up to the race. Hopefully next week I will get in my 20, as I plan on at least 2 -20 mile runs before the marathon.

Here are the numbers:

32 miles for the week
349 minutes of running
Long run = 15 miles
Weight = 198 and feeling great!

Week 12 - 6 More Weeks Until Marathon!

2008-04-07T14:09:00.005-04:00

Week twelve was a good week. I had planned on cutting back my mileage some after the 18 mile long run and 39 mile week. I took Monday off because my legs were pretty well spent. I decided to run Tuesday and went out for a 4 mile run in 34 minutes. My legs were heavy at the beginning but felt better the longer I ran. I started thinking I would have been alright to run on Monday. Lesson learned I suppose.

On Wednesday I ran another 4 miles in 33:00 around town. It was a warm day and I felt good. I have started to develop some tenderness in on the top of my right leg, kind of near the groin. It actually hurts more when I walk than when I run. Possibly overuse?

Thursday I chose to go on a walk with my wife around town and we managed about 2 miles at a leisurely pace. The walk felt good and by the end I thought I had worked the kinks out of my leg. Friday I got off work early and ran around McDonald again. I had things to do that evening so I figured I would get my run in before I ran out of daylight. This was probably my fastest run of the week as I covered 4 ½ miles in 34:00.

Saturday morning I ran in McDonald in the morning as I was traveling to Washington PA to watch Kyrsti run at Washington Jefferson College. I had bought a Tom Tom GPS on Friday night and decided to put it to the test. It performed flawlessly! Once again she competed in the 800 and the 3000m Steeple Chase.

Cameron Stadium Scoreboard - Washington Jefferson College

Kyrsti Running the Steeple Chase

Kyrsti ran so fast she blew her shoe off!

On Sunday my training schedule had a 12 miler planned for me. What better place than Mill Creek on a sunny Sunday morning is there to run? I packed the fuel and liquids and headed to the park. I was actually eager to run as 12 miles would seem like a breeze compared to the 18 miler the week before. I decided to make it a hard twelve and pick all the hills I could think of. I also decided to mix in some trails and some roads (maybe it would help with my leg).

I started out by running around Lake Glacier, and then headed towards the East Cohasset Trail. I then ran up towards the Mill and was grateful to find out that these bathrooms are now opened on the weekends in April. The water fountain is also again hooked up! I made my way down the trail and crossed over the second bridge. After some trail running I got back on the road and ran all the way to the top of Big Bear. I made my way down the decking and back onto the trails. I followed the trails towards the Silver Bridge and back onto the trails around the other side of Cohasset. I was running well and felt strong.

I made my way along this trail and realized that if I headed back to the car it would cut my run short. I followed the trail and passed Pioneer Pavilion and headed towards the car. As I ran by the car I was at about 70 minutes. I traveled up the road and decided to run Bear’s Den. What a better way to end a run than by climbing some more hills? I pressed up these hills and could feel the effort. I wasn’t going fast, but I was running. I now try to run every hill no matter how I feel. I got to where it leveled off and felt myself going faster. I prepared for the next hill and climbed it fairly well. I was now thinking about the fun of running back down these hills. I went up the last hill hard and turned around at the entrance to the Morley Pavilion.

I started going back towards the car and felt like I was on a roller coaster. I was running hard and kind of letting it all go. Usually I do not run down hills hard but today for some reason I was. I smiled as I poured down the hill. I was back to the car and stopped my watch at 1 hr. 35 minutes. I am guessing I averaged about 8:30 miles as I know a few points on the course I ran that are a mile but I try not to get all caught up in that.

Overall it was a good week of running. This upcoming week my long run will be 20 miles but I may go longer (22) if everything feels right.

The numbers:
Total Miles = 32
Long Run = 12 miles
Pace 8:00-8:45
Weight = 198 (but my pants are loose now!)
Fuel Intake (2 Hammer Gels on the 12 miler plus a bottle of Succeed) I had dried salt all over my face at the end of the run. I may need to start taking salt tablets on these longer runs with the weather heating up.

Some Pictures of Kyrsti's First Steeple Chase!

2008-04-03T21:37:00.002-04:00

The press box at Carnegie Mellon's Gesling Stadium

This is an excellent facility located in downtown Pittsburgh. They have great seating, a wonderful track, and a great concession stand. We had a fantastic time this afternoon.

Start of the race Kyrsti running with Andra

Kyrsti coming around the track

Clearing the steeple

All smiles after the steeple chase!

Running the 800.

This Saturday we head to Washington PA for Washington and Jefferson College. Kyrsti will once again be doing the steeple chase and the 800. She has practiced all week and now knows how to actually "jump" over the steeple instead of jump off it. We are excited to see her progress!!!

Stay Posted!!!!!!!!!

Week 11 and doing fine!

2008-04-01T11:14:00.001-04:00

Well week 11 turned out to be a good one. I got in 6 runs and managed to feel fine the whole week. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday were all 4 mile runs around town that were at a little faster pace. I tend to push the shorter runs a little harder to make them more interesting and challenging.

On Friday I treated myself to a nice trail run of 5 ½ miles at Mill Creek. The trails were almost clear of ice and I had no trouble navigating without wearing screwed shoes. It was great to get back on the trails and my legs needed a nice easy run on a soft surface. It was a little colder than I had thought but I still was running in shorts and it wasn’t too bad.

Saturday morning I ran around town again for 4 ½ miles. I chose to run early as we were traveling to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh for Kyrsti’s first outdoor meet and I knew I wouldn’t feel like running when I got home. Kyrsti competed in her first ever Steeple Chase and she also ran in the 800 meters. She enjoyed the Steeple a lot but found out very quickly that one wrong step can land you in deep water. She fell in the water pit the first time around and had to run the next 2500 meters or so completely soaked. She kept a smile on her face and finished the race. We are very proud of her!

Sunday was the day for my long run. I had used Google Earth to map out a course that was exactly 18 miles. Starting at Lanterman’s Mill in Mill Creek Park to 224 and back on the roads was exactly 9 miles. By parking at the Mill, my car was at the half way point. I started out at a comfortable pace and it was cooler in the morning but the temperature was perfect for me. I wore shorts with a cool-max short sleeve shirt covered with my lightweight Under-Armor jacket. I was in a sweat about 15 minutes into the run so I was plenty warm.

My plan was to run counter-clockwise the first time around and then clockwise the second loop. Despite my best laid plans, as I was running the first loop my obsessive compulsiveness coupled with my perseveration dictated that I run the two loops in the same direction so I could more accurately measure my pace and how I felt at certain spots in the run. I broke the run down in my mind into 8 sections. From the Mill to Shields Rd. was the first section, Shields to the top of the Hike/Bike Trail on 224 was the second, from the bike trail to Shields Rd. was the third and from Shields back to the Mill was section four. By far the worst section was the second section which travels along the length of the Mill Creek golf course. Do all of this twice and you have 8 sections.

The first loop I covered in 1 hour 15 minutes for an 8:20 pace. I was pretty satisfied with this as I felt I was running pretty conservatively. I refilled my bottle and took in some fuel at the car and continued on my second loop. I was having a little tightness in my right upper leg but nothing that was too bad. I continued on my way and noticed about the time I reached Shields Rd. that the temperature was starting to warm up. I unzipped my jacket and contemplated taking it off. I thought better and kept it on as there were sections that the wind seemed colder than other sections. I made my way by the golf course and walked a bit to try and stretch out my stiffness.

When I reached the top of the Hike/Bike trail I felt that I had this run in the bag. I ran along smoothly and wasn’t feeling too bad. I said “hello” to a lot of the runners/walkers on the trail but noticed that not too many of the people would respond. So in the best Tronk way, I would say real loud as I would run towards them “GOOD MORNING!!!” Now they responded! I once told Brian Musick that no one refuses to say “hi” to Tronk in the park. I laughed as I ran down the yellow line looking for my next victim.

I got back to the car in 1 hour and 21 minutes for a 9:00 pace for the second 9 miles. I actually thought I had maintained a better pace than that but obviously I fell off somewhere. I was quite tired after 2 hours and 36 minutes of running and walked to my car to stretch out a bit before driving home. It was now close to noon and the sun was shining and blue skies were bright above my head. What a great day for a run.

I climbed into Elle and plugged in the iPod for the ride home. I cranked some Dave Mathews Band and it gave me a feeling that spring was here as I rolled down the windows so everyone could enjoy the tunes. As I looked in the rear-view mirror, I noticed my face was completely caked in salt, dried around my ears, my ears, my nose and cheeks. Those people on the bike trail must have thought I was crazy or something.

Oh well, I had a great week anyway. Here are the numbers:
Total miles = 39
Total minutes running = 360
Long Run = 18 miles (2:36.00)
Fuel consumption on the long run = 2 Power Bar gels, 1 pack Shot Blocks, 2 bottles of Clip 2, and a bottle of water and pack of peanut butter crackers on the way home.

Next week longer (short runs) if that makes sense and a meager 12 miler for distance run.

Week 10 - More than half way there on the 18 week training plan!

2008-03-24T14:32:00.004-04:00

Would you pick these guys up?

Tronk & Son Taylor after long run!

This week started out so-so. I ran on Monday but really didn’t feel like running at all. I was exhausted from the weekend in Cleveland and wanted to relax more than anything. I was slated to run 5 miles but I managed only 3 ½ before calling it a day. I then went to fire drills and worked with 5” hose. That was a workout in and of itself.

I took Tuesday off as scheduled and had planned on 4 miles on Wednesday. Unfortunately it rained all day Wednesday and instead of risking getting sick, like half on my co-workers, I scratched the run and made it up on Thursday with a 4 mile run around town.

I took Friday off at work being Good Friday and my son Taylor had planned on doing his long run in Mill Creek. I told him I would join him but we would have to come up with a plan to do this. I cannot run his pace and I was planning on 16 miles or so and he wanted to run 20.

We parked at the Mill and decided that he would run the east side of Newport and I would run the west side. When he got around to me, he would turn around and run with me until we got to Shields road. After crossing Shields, he would run his pace again and follow the road along the golf course, cross the bridge onto the hike/bike trail, and then turn right and run to 224 and turn around. I would cross the bridge and turn left and run until he caught back up with me. When we got back to Shields road, we would run opposite sides of Newport and he would again run around until he met up with me and then turn around. This didn’t quite work out the way we planned as the bridge to cross over to the hike/bike trail was flooded and there was no way to cross over. We both ran to 224 so he was in front of me by quite a bit.

I ran by myself from Shields road to 224 and back and had made my way almost all the way to the Mill before I saw him coming the other way with a smile on his face. We made it to the car and re-fueled and got something to drink. We had been running for an hour and a half and both of us were feeling good.

After a few minutes, we started down the road away from the Mill towards Cohasset and onto the east Cohasset trail. Once we were on the trail, we decided that he would run his pace and go ahead of me and go along the east side of Lake Glacier and I would go along the west side. I would run until I got to him and then I would turn around and we would finish the last 2-3 miles together.

As I approached Lake Glacier I was trying to spot him coming from the other direction but I could not see him. He was wearing a bright yellow Livestrong hat so he was pretty easy to spot. I started down the west side of Glacier towards the Old Log Cabin waiting for him to come. As I rounded the corner towards the Cabin, I spotted him coming the other way. I stood and waited for him and when he got to me he said he needed to walk a bit. He had pushed the hills hard on the other side and was starting to feel the pain of running for over 2 hours. We starting running again after a bit and decided we would run to the bottom of the hill by the flats and we would power walk the last climb. We got about half way up the hill and I remembered there is a trail that goes off to the right that will take you down to the decking by the Mill. We opted for that and enjoyed the scenery from the trail perspective. We reached the car and had run for 2 hours and 40 minutes. Taylor guessed he covered 20 miles and I figured I almost had 17. We were both tired and were glad to sit down. We enjoyed pretzels and water in the car on the way home.

Mill Creek on Saturday Morning! New Snow.

On Saturday my legs were feeling the pain and the new snow on the ground could have easily made me say I am not doing anything today. Instead I cleared the driveway, changed my clothes and headed back to the park for another run. I parked at the Lily Pond and headed immediately towards Bear’s Den. I wanted to climb and see what I had left in my legs. It wasn’t much, but I got to the top and the longer I ran the better I felt. I covered about 8 miles in 65 minutes. The park looked beautiful with all the new snow and I enjoyed every bit of it.

My Back Yard Saturday Morning

Sunday was Easter and I got up and went to church with my family. After church I had about 90 minutes before I had to be at dinner at the in-laws so I took advantage and got a 4 mile run around town in. I was somewhat stiff but again, the longer I ran the better I felt.

This was a great week of training. I had the opportunity to run with my son on the longest run of his life, and I got to get in some quality miles.

Totals for the week:
317 minutes of running
35.5 miles
Long Run = 16+
Weight = 198.

Next week I am scheduled to run 18 miles. I am looking forward to a 3 hour run.

Zone Swim Meet 2008

2008-03-17T21:38:00.004-04:00

I spent the weekend in Cleveland Ohio at the Zone Swim Meet. This is a swim meet where the best YMCA swimmers from five states compete against one another. I have the distinct honor of coaching some of the finest swimmers in Northeast Ohio who did very well at Zones. Here are the pictures I took of these great kids.

Cleveland State Natatorium

Ashley and "Old Bear"

Coaches Jessie and Jeff

Taylor, Tre, Dannielle, and Jessie

Michael Henson DEFEND YOUNGSTOWN!

Kayleigh, Kayla, Becca, Rachel, and Mikayla

Mikayla, Danielle, Meryl, and Jessie

Kara Shows off her "sound system"

Joe shows off his Neptune Pride with an "N" on Justin's back

Neptune Men - Ryan, Tom, Nick and Coach Jeff

Alicia and brother Ian

Neptune Women - Katie, Steph, Morgan and Ashley

Alec, Alex, Justin, and Joe - Neptune Strong!

Katie, Steph, and Ashley

Coach Sue and Coach Jessie

I am very proud of each and every one of these swimmers. They had a great season and I can't wait until next year.

Week 9 and Doing Fine!

2008-03-17T14:23:00.000-04:00

What a busy week. I knew going into this week I had a lot of extra things to do besides run, so I planned accordingly. On Monday I dropped off my car at the Honda dealer to have a rear strut replaced. I attended my fire department meeting and training and then headed out the door at 8:00 p.m. for a run around town. I went for 28 minutes of hard running, pushing every hill. It was a warm 33 degrees and I ran in shorts for about 3 ½ miles.

On Tuesday I went and coached swimming until 7:00 and decided I would run on an unscheduled day in case plans changed later in the week. I needed to get my miles in and I wanted to remove all the possible excuses that could come up. I again ran hard around town for 38 minutes and at one point I passed Taylor and his girlfriend who were out walking and Taylor asked me why I was running so fast. That felt good so I continued to run fast until I was home. I covered 4 ½ miles. I got to run in shorts again and it felt great!

On Wednesday I picked Elle up and she sounded great. No noise. I went to the YMCA and coached my final swim practice for the season and went home to relax. I was tired and enjoyed a quiet evening at home.

On Thursday it was a beautiful day. At 50 degrees and sunshine it was one of the nicest days I had seen in a long time. I didn’t feel like running. But instead of sitting on my butt, I put on my shoes and headed out the door. I really believe that everything happens for a reason. As I was about 10 minutes into my run, I happened upon one of my friends (Ed Robinson) in McDonald who was also out running. He asked if I wanted someone to run with. I said absolutely! We ran for 41 minutes and covered about 5 miles. Thank God Ed came along or I might have been home in less than 20 minutes. I thanked him for making my run better.

On Friday I had taken the day off of work so that I could get my long run in. Knowing that I would be gone all weekend and would have little chance to run, I knew it was Friday or never. I would run 16 miles this day in 2 hours 30 minutes. I chose a loop around Lake Newport (clockwise) and then a loop around the “historic” district of the park and then another loop around Newport (counter-clockwise). By having my car parked at the Mill parking lot, I could stop and refuel if needed. It was a very comfortable run. It lightly drizzled the whole time and I enjoyed every minute of it. I passed by one other person out walking the whole morning. There has always been something peaceful about Mill Creek to me, but this was a special day. I hope to have many more long runs in the park prior to the marathon.

Later in the day, I traveled to Cleveland for the Zone Swim Meet, which is the greatest YMCA swimmers from 5 states. We had 30 swimmers representing the Youngstown Y-Neptunes. The kids all did great and I will be posting pictures later today of the meet.

After the swimming was completed on Saturday, we got back to the hotel around 5:30. I decided that gave me just enough daylight to get in a run in downtown Cleveland. What an adventure. I would run straight if I caught a cross-walk with the “walk sign” lighted or I would turn if was a “do not walk” sign. I criss-crossed and zigzagged all over downtown Cleveland in an effort to reach Lake Erie and see the sights that this great city has to offer. After about 10 minutes, there it was….. Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Science Center and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I made my way there and ran by each of them. I thought to myself, in about two months from now I will be running by these places again in the marathon.

I made my way back to the hotel by traveling different roads but much in the same way. I cut back, took a turn, and zigzagged all over town again and made it back to the hotel in about 30 minutes. I was quite satisfied.

Total Miles Run = 32
Long run = 16
Total Minutes Running = 285
Weight 200 (too much food at the swim meet)

Interesting Notes: Next week I am slated to run 29 miles. I hope to do more now that I have a little more time on my hands. 32 miles last week did not leave me sore and a 16 mile run actually felt very comfortable.

Later today I will post some pictures of the Zone Meet. Stay Tuned!!!!

Week 8 - A Short Week

2008-03-10T08:32:00.002-04:00

The week started off great. On Monday the 3rd we were treated to some great weather. I took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and ran 4 miles in McDonald (in shorts and t-shirt). Even if it was short lived, I needed this for my sanity. I was somewhat stiff from the half-marathon the day before, but it felt good to be out running on a warm sunny day.

On Wednesday I had another good run. The weather cooled off some, but it was still a pleasant 32 degrees. I got out and ran 5 miles at an easy pace. I could still feel the hills of the Mill Creek half-marathon every time I pushed a little harder or ran a hill, but again it was enjoyable not running in single digit temperatures.

On Friday the snow came. It was described as a winter storm of epic proportions. It lived up to its billing. It was “THE PERFECT STORM”. Unfortunately, running was not going to happen. On a weekend of activity cancellations, road parking bans, and rescheduling of about every major event in the area, it was hard to convince myself that I would no be running this weekend.

Friday there was no way. I did not even venture out of my house. On Saturday, I went out and cleared the driveway and decided to go see how bad it was for myself. I got into Elle and we traveled over to Mill Creek Park. From my house, the park is about 15 minutes away. After a 35 minute ride, I was starting to doubt I would be running. Once I got to the park, I thought maybe I would run around Lake Newport twice for my 10 mile run. This is a heavily traveled road and I figured it would be one of the first roads cleared. Big Mistake! The roads in the park had not been touched. There was a foot of mashed up brown and white snow covering the roads. Reluctantly I drove home. I stretched out and sat and watched a movie pissed that I could not run.

On Sunday I noticed that the Village of McDonald had done a real nice job of clearing my road. This was a good sign. I waited until the sun came out and then I prepared to get out for my run. I went out at about 11:30 a.m. and it was great. Sure there was a little ice and a little slop, but it is March in northeast Ohio. I trudged on and ran for almost 50 minutes. I chalked it up to 6 miles of running.

Not a great week of marathon training, but sometimes you have to take what the good Lord gives you. Here are my unimpressive numbers for the week.

Total Miles = 15
Long Run = 6
Inches of Snow = 10

Week 7 - Mill Creek Park Half Marathon!

2008-03-03T10:21:00.003-05:00

Week 7 started out slowly and once again I was battling the weather. Monday after work I got in a 4 mile run in some frigid conditions. It was snowing, blowing, and really quite miserable.

Tuesday brought freezing rain and snow and we cancelled swim practice. I took the opportunity to get in a short run in some bad weather. I ran for about 30 minutes but did not enjoy even one minute of it. I am now at the point that I am getting frustrated putting on all the clothes, walking down an icy driveway to run in really crappy conditions. I keep telling myself it is going to get better, but with the snowiest February on record, this has been a challenging year to train for a spring marathon.

On Friday it seemed warmer so I went out for a run right after I got home from work. It was raining a little but it did not seem so bad. It was probably about 34 degrees so it actually felt like a heat wave. I ran around McDonald and decided to run roads I don’t normally run to break up the monotony. As I was heading down Iowa Avenue, I ran into one of my friends Ed Robinson who was out running also. He was just finishing up so I walked with him for a few minutes as he cooled down. It started raining harder so I told him I better get on. I ran for about another 25 minutes or so and as I was walking to cool down a little, Chris Rizer, a runner from the McDonald cross country team, came up behind me and walked with me a bit as I stretched out. It was nice to see some of my friends out running in the rain with me.

Saturday brought an all day swim meet at the Canton Natatorium. The Youngstown Y-Neptunes swam well and I was proud of all of them. Needless to say, leaving at 6:30 a.m. and getting home close to 9:00 p.m. meant no run for me. I did however stop in Alliance on my way home and met my son Taylor at Mount Union College. We went and ate at Don Panchos in Alliance for some Tex-Mex. It was good and he enjoyed the company and getting away from college for a bit.

Sunday morning I had planned on running the Mill Creek half-marathon. I got up at 7:00 and had all of my stuff ready from the night before. One of my Junior High cross country runners had called me on Saturday night and wanted to do the run also, so I left at about 7:45 to pick up Kyle and his mom Rita. As we were driving to Mill Creek, I tried to give Kyle an idea of the hills he would be running. Mill Creek is hard to describe to someone that hasn’t run there much. Some hills are steep and long, some are on gradual grades, and some of them just make your legs burn while going up them. I told him this would be the hardest run he has ever done. I knew Kyle was a good runner, but I hoped he would have enough energy for this.

The race started promptly at 8:45 a.m. I started off by staying conservative and running with a group of people. I talked with Jim Harris and his son Eric and wife Beth. I also said hello to Kelli Maheu and her daughter Audrey. Lenny Maheu, who I had run with a couple of weeks before, was feeling sick and chose not to run today. He was out there to support his family and friends.

The half marathon course stays within the historic district of the park and winds throughout the hilliest sections. I don’t think there was ever a point longer than a half mile that we were not either going up hill or down hill. I enjoyed every mile, every hill, and everybody I talked to. I ran a very comfortable pace and at times was just waiting for my legs to cramp, or to start feeling like I was running out of energy. That never came. The only hill I chose to power walk was Big Bear, and that was about mile three of the race. I ran half-way up and thought to myself, why am I killing myself here? I power walked and actually passed a few people. Kyle was with me at the time and we ran together to just before we got to the Mill. He seemed like he was doing okay, so I kept on my pace. I did not see him again until the end of the race.

I pretty much ran by myself for the next 9 miles or so. I remained within the same group of people, but we all kind of kept to ourselves. This was good with me, because I like to run by myself. I like to look around at the park, occasionally talk to people, and take it all in. You miss a lot if you are busy talking and gabbing. The miles went by quickly and I enjoyed each one. They were all different, but when you are running hills, in your mind you are always preparing for the next one. When you reach the top of the hill, it feels like you have reached another milestone. When I crossed the Silver Bridge, I laughed to myself. Just a week ago I stood on this bridge while Brian Musick took my picture. The King of the Winter-Wonderland I thought to myself!

WINTER WONDERLAND 2-24-08

On the final loop, coming from Lanterman’s Mill, I climbed the long hill from Scholl pavilion. At the top of the hill there was a bunch of people cheering that had been out there the whole morning. They were there when I passed this area over an hour ago. When I got to the top I noticed they were all jumping up and down. I was so happy after climbing that hill that I ran right towards them and started jumping with them. They went crazy and started cheering and patting my back and giving me high fives. I was so pumped when I left that group I felt my pace quicken. What a great group out there at that tough spot on the course.

I had about 3 miles left to go and thought to myself, It's just a 5k. I looked at my watch and decided that if I stayed on pace, I could get in under 2 hours, which was my goal. I kept checking my watch so much that finally I took it off and put it in my pocket. I decided not to look at it again until I got to Bear’s Den and the final climb. At the bottom of Big Bear I saw my eye doctor Bob Gerdes for the final time of the day. He had been there all morning and it was good to see a familiar face out there.

I continued along the course and I felt a lot better than expected. I felt like when I started to push a little harder that I could feel it in my thighs. I wasn’t cramping, but my legs definitely had done their work today. I had one more climb to go and I knew it was not going to be fun. Bear’s Den is a series of hills that resemble a staircase. You climb one hill, level off a little, climb another hill, level off, and then climb another hill and then a gradual climb all the way to the finish. All of this while enjoying some mammoth rock formations and the beauty of Mill Creek Park. I shortened my stride and was determined to climb these hills. I pushed up each one. I wasn’t going fast, but I was going as fast as I could. After the last big climb, I knew the finish was less that a ½ mile away. I checked my watch and it was 1:54.00. I now knew barring any catastrophic thing from happening, I would be under two hours. I pressed to the finish and completed the run in 1:58.24. I was ecstatic.

After finishing I went inside to get warm and have something to eat. I came back outside and found Rita standing near the finish line waiting for Kyle. I waited a few minutes, but then I told her I was going to change out of my wet clothes. I went to the car, changed and came back and Rita was still standing there. She said she was starting to worry, so I told her I would go back out on the course and see if I could find him. I jogged from the finish line back down the course and offered encouragement to those that were making their final push to the finish. I was greeted with several smiling faces.

I traveled half way down Bear’s Den and decided to perch at the top of one of the hills so I could spot Kyle. I continued clapping for the runners as they made their way up the hill and I think my support was appreciated. After about 10 minutes, I spotted Kyle at the bottom of the hill walking along the edge of the road. I yelled some encouragement and after a few minutes he made it up to where I was waiting. He said his legs were hurting bad and he had nothing left. I asked him to jog a little and he made it about 100 yards before apologizing and started walking again. I told him he was less than a half mile from the finish and he started to smile. We turned the last turn towards the finish and I told him that the finish was just on top of the hill. He said he would walk until he reached a pine tree on the right and then he would run the rest of the way up. When we reached the tree, he took off and made his way to the finish. He completed his run in 2:34.00. I was happy he finished and ran to finish line.

This was another unusual week of training for me but it was capped off with a good, challenging half-marathon. Swim practice times are being shortened the next two weeks so I hope to increase my mileage. Here is a run down of this week.

Total miles = 28
Long Run = 13.1
Weight = 198
Attitude: Can’t wait to run on Monday the 3rd. I got some stiffness the day after the race and am looking forward to working it out in my new Asics Gel Nimbus shoes.

Week 6 - Training on a Pergo Floor - NOT!

2008-02-26T08:24:00.006-05:00

Well I had some good runs this week. I started out on Monday with a 4 mile run around town on a cold wintery morning. It was about 10 degrees and it actually felt warmer because the wind did not seem as bad.

On Wednesday I ran for about 50 minutes but given the conditions I suspect it was only about 5 ½ miles. The roads in town were slick and I never felt like I could get any momentum while running.

Friday at work I watched it snow all day and could not resist the temptation to cross country ski instead of run when I got home. Cross country skiing is definitely harder to do than run, so I did not feel like I was sacrificing any conditioning. I was supposed to run 5 miles so I figured if I skied for an hour or so I would be good. I skied for 60 minutes around town and quickly remembered that cutting tracks in while skiing is hard work. After making my first loops which took about 40 minutes, I went back and skied over the whole thing again in about 20 minutes. It was quite exhausting but a nice break from running.

My son Taylor had arranged for a TeamPR group run on Saturday morning so I got up early to find that it had snowed even more. There was probably about 3-4 inches of fresh soft powder on the ground. We drove to the park and met Brian Musick and his brother Jeff there waiting for us.

Brian, Tronk, Jeff, Taylor (pre-run)

After some preliminaries, Brian suggested we run the trails. I reluctantly agreed so we left the Lily Pond parking lot and ran the upper trail around the ridge heading towards the Log Cabin. We were not on the trail long before we realized that the trails were in poor shape. We ran trails for about a mile before we bailed and got onto the roads. I had planned on running 14 miles today and I knew I was not going to do it on trails in these conditions.

Road around Lake Newport

We continued on our path around Lake Glacier and followed the roads around the perimeter of the park all the way to Shields Road. When running around Lake Newport we saw Katherine Bosley running with a few other ladies. Ms. Bosley was a local news personality that achieved notoriety on the internet by having some pictures of her posted. That’s a whole different story.

Brian and I ran together for about 9-10 miles of the 13 today and Taylor and Jeff were out in front of us. We were going to sprint up in front of them but we didn’t want to give the two youngsters a complex or anything. So we just held back, ran our pace, stopped to stretch a few times and enjoyed the winter wonderland of Mill Creek Park. This park is always beautiful but with fresh white powder on it, it gets even better

Lanterman's Mill -Awesome!

Tronk running with the Boys!

When we reached the Lily Pond parking lot, Brian’s GPS showed we had covered 12.5 miles. We decided a trip around the Lily Pond may make it 13 total so we ran through the ankle deep snow. Once we got back to the parking lot, we did an extra little loop and made it 13.0. We ran for 2 hours and 18 minutes. Not a blistering pace, but good time on our feet in some very slippery conditions.

On Sunday I had planned on running 4 miles easy but my brother called with a special request. Pergo floor installation! Needless to say I worked for 10 hours on Sunday putting in a floor and could barely stand erect when I finished. I wanted to run when I got home at 8:00, but I was totally exhausted. I actually thought I was getting sick, as I started with chills and sweats. I took 3 Ibuprofen and went to bed. Good news is I woke up fine, but may back down some next week because this is the point in winter when I get sick every year. I am going to allow myself some flexibility in my training next week and be prepared to run the Mill Creek half marathon next weekend. Tronk - King of the Winter Wonderland!

Total Mile Run = 22 ½
Total Mile X/C ski = 5
Long Run 13 miles
Weight = 198 and holding!

Week 5 When Is Spring?

2008-02-19T09:53:00.002-05:00

Well the week of February 11 through the 17 proved to be challenging for my running schedule due to the weather, family obligations and work. I was slated to run 30 miles this week. It did not turn out that way.

I started out running on Monday and ran probably 2 ½ of the coldest miles I have run in a long time. It was 4 degrees and with the wind chill it was -10 degrees. I was supposed to do 4 miles, but as my face chapped I decided to cut it short. It is these constant reminders of why I have never done a spring marathon that drive me crazy. I want to run, but getting motivated to run in the dark in freezing cold weather just sucks!

Wednesday came and it was still cold but I was real determined to run. I ran around town and cruised an easy cold 4 miles in 32 minutes. Some days my lungs don’t seem to mind the cold and other days it seems I pay the price. Today I got in a good run. I can’t help but think how good it will feel when I can get back to running in shorts and cut off t-shirts.

Friday night my wife and I traveled to Oberlin College to watch my daughter run the mile on an indoor track. As much as I hate running outside, I think an indoor track might be worse. Sure it is dry, warm and smooth, but it is also hard to breathe, dry, warm and smooth. It is just not my style of running. On the way to Oberlin, we stopped and picked up my cousin Brian (Kyrsti’s godfather) in Brooklyn, Ohio and he went with us. After the meet we ate at Max and Erma’s and then traveled home. Needless to say I missed my scheduled 5 mile run on this day.

Saturday morning Kyrsti and I got up early and traveled to Mill Creek to get in my long run. We had plans to meet a group of people there and were surprised to see Jim Harris, his wife Beth, his son Eric and the Maheu family (Lenny, Kellie and Audrey). After we decided the route to run, we were off. It was real cold starting off (about 10 degrees). There are areas in the park that seem colder. When you run into low lying areas with heavy tree coverage, it seems like it may be 10-15 degrees colder.

Kyrsti was planning on running 50 minutes. I had planned to my long run so I decided I would do a loop with her and then go for another loop after dropping her off at the car (we drove separately so she could go home). We started out as a whole group but after a few minutes we were in two groups. Jim, Audrey, Kyrsti, Eric and I were in the front group with the others following behind us. We traveled alongside Cohasset and made our way to Big Bear. The climb warmed us all up and by the time we reached the top I was wiping sweat from my forehead.

When we reached the Mill, Jim decided he was going to turn around and run back to Beth, Kellie, and Lenny. His son Eric turned around with him. They were planning on getting in 8-10 miles. Kyrsti, Audrey and I continued on our way around the park. We ran East Cohasset Drive and found it snow covered and difficult to run on. We enjoyed each others company and talked about college, track, cross country and anything else. When we reached the Green Bridge at the end of Lake Glacier, Audrey said she was going to go around. Kyrsti and I split from her and we ran back to the Lily Pond.

Kyrsti ran for about 55 minutes and she seemed happy with that. I changed my tops and put some dry stuff on. I was in a full sweat now. I ate a Hammer Gel and drank some Succeed before heading out on the second half of my run. The second half was completely unplanned. I knew that I did not want to run East Cohasset again because the footing was really bad. I exited the Lily Pond parking lot and decided I was going to run up towards Bears Den cabin. I hadn’t run to the top of this in a while and thought it would be enjoyable.

I made my way up the steady climb and just found myself running on various roads throughout the park to make my run a total of 2 hours and 15 minutes. I estimate that I ran about 15 miles and was quite happy with this run. I did see other runners out on the course and was happy to run along with 3 guys for a short while.

My week ended on Sunday and instead of running I was at a swim meet at Y.S.U. for the entire day. I left at 6:45 a.m. and returned home at 8:00 p.m. (so much for a day off). Instead of running I chose to do some stretching and get prepared for the upcoming week. All in all it wasn’t a bad week, but it is so hard to get in the runs with the weather as a deterrent.

Totals for the week:
190 minutes of running
21 ½ miles
Long run 15 miles (2 hrs. 15 minutes)
Weight 198

Week 4 - Oh the Weather!

2008-02-11T10:18:00.000-05:00

Well week four started out great. I got in a hard 5 mile run in Mill Creek on Tuesday afternoon after work and prior to swim practice. It was a warm 50 degree day with a light drizzle. I ran the roads and purposely picked a course that would allow me to run some tough hills hard. I finished in 42 minutes and was quite exhausted.

On Wednesday I chose to run a 5 mile course around McDonald in the morning. I didn’t have to be at work until 12:00, so I got my run in with some stretching when I got home. It was a little colder (38 degrees) with a light drizzle but I got to run in shorts again in February.

Friday night Pam and I picked up my parents and we drove to Slippery Rock University to watch Kyrsti run the 800 on the indoor track. She wasn’t happy with her time but we were there to support her for her effort. Then we all went and ate at Eat and Park at Grove City.

On Saturday morning I traveled over to Mill Creek for my long run. I was scheduled to run 14 miles but did not really feel like running that long. I told myself I would maybe do 9 today and 9 tomorrow. After fussing around in the Lily Pond parking lot deciding what I was going to wear, I decided on shorts and a light rain jacket. It was a steady rain and about 40 degrees when I started. After about 5 minutes into the run, as I was heading up Bear’s Den, I told myself I dressed appropriately. I added this extra loop to increase the mileage but stay within the park and the course I have been running all along. I climbed the long hills steadily and actually felt myself gritting my teeth running somewhat hard up these hills. As I turned around and started coming back down the hill, I said to myself that I will be running 14 miles today. No excuses, no exceptions. I got back to the three way intersection and got back to my usual course. Along Lake Cohasset I enjoyed the ducks practicing take-offs and landings.

It was raining harder now and the sky was bright blue with white clouds. It was real strange. I started to run up Big Bear and thought twice after I was half way up. I stopped running and power walked the rest of the way. I stretched my legs and decided this would be the last time I walked today. I got to the top and proceeded to run for the next hour and a half to complete the 14 miles. I ran pick-ups for the rest of the run, but based more on how I felt at the time as opposed to "by the watch pick-ups". It rained, the sun shined, and at times I thought I underdressed and at other times felt I had overdressed.

My last mile from the log cabin to the car was 8:40. The previous week was 9:00 and felt much more difficult. I feel like I am getting stronger and running these hills certainly are a big part of that.

On Sunday I was supposed to run 4 miles but given the weather I bowed out. The winds were blowing so hard that I decided to do some stretching indoors and recuperate for another long week of running. I think I know now why I have never done a marathon in the spring. The weather is so difficult to train in.

Total Miles for the week = 24
Long run = 14 miles
Average Pace per mile 8:00-8:40
Weight = 198
Interesting facts: During the long run I tried “power beans”. They look and taste like jelly beans but are supposed to pack a punch of energy. I also had 1 hammer gel and 1 power fuel. It all sat well and I had no problems with cramping or dehydration. I once again drank a bottle of water on my way to the run and fueled along the way with Succeed. I may start trying to take a salt tablet, as my face was completely covered in the white grit after my long run.

I have another cold week ahead of me, but hopefully Saturday will be decent for my long run.

Week 3 - Ah the Schedule!

2008-02-06T14:21:00.000-05:00

Well week 3 was a little difficult for me. My schedule for the week was hard due to traveling to Morgantown, WVA on Saturday for my daughter’s indoor track meet and having an all day Divisional Swim Meet in Canton on Sunday. I had to make some changes to my running schedule which resulted in fewer miles that I would have liked.

Monday the 28th was a cold day and I went out in the morning for a run before work. I ran for a quick 26 minutes (3 ½ miles) in 14 degree weather with heavy hands concentrating on speed and tempo. It was a good run and I was quite satisfied after I finished. My second run was on Wednesday in McDonald and I ran an easy 36 minutes and completed 4 miles.

I initially had planned on running my long run on Saturday the 2nd but given the fact I was going to Morgantown on Saturday, I decided to head to Mill Creek on Friday after work and get my long run in then. I got to the park about 3:15 and starting running at about 3:30. I left the Lily Pond parking lot and ran the roads around the entire circumference of the park. I stayed on all the major roads and made my way from the Lily Pond to Cohasset Drive, up Big Bear to the Mill, around Lake Newport to Shields Road, and back to the Mill. From there I ran down towards the Silver Bridge but made a right and ran down East Cohasset Drive which is a closed road that acts as a hike/bike trail. From there I went up along Lake Glacier and climbed the hills to Volney Rogers baseball fields. I was getting tired from the climbs but I had broken this run down into sections in my mind and I think this helped. I new exactly where I wanted to be and was confident I would complete this run strong. When I got near Volney, my legs were hurting and so were my lungs. It also had started to sleet a little bit. I was running in shorts and my legs were starting to get cold from the sleet and the wind. I had about a mile and a half to go so I decided to pick it up and take a split on my last mile to check my pace.

As I headed to the Lily Pond from the Log Cabin it really started to come down. The sleet was more like frozen rain and it was sticking to me everywhere. I tucked my head and pressed on. I felt good. I got back to the Lily Pond in 1 hr. 59 min. My last mile pace was 8:40. I was happy to be done and to know I ran 8:40 for my last mile of 13 miles. I dried myself off and put the heater on high for the ride home.

Saturday I traveled to the track meet and really felt like I needed a run when I got home. I was motivated watching all the college runners on the track. After a short nap, I changed my clothes and got in a 4 mile run in McDonald. My legs were tired in the beginning, but after 10 minutes or so I felt myself picking up the pace. This was my last run for the week. Sunday I was at a swim meet from 6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. and returned home to about 12 people at my house for a Super Bowl party. I ate and enjoyed myself.

Total miles for the week were 25 (212 minutes of running)
Body weight 198
Long Day = 13 miles
Training Pace = 8:00-8:40
Interesting notes: On my long run, I consumed 2 Hammer-gels (1 every 45 minutes or so) and drank Succeed in my 26 oz. bottle. Everything sat right where it should and I had no problems with cramping. Next week the long run is scheduled for Saturday…… it will be 14 miles and I am still mapping it out.
Stay Tuned………………..

Week 2 Marathon Training - Looking Up!

2008-01-28T14:40:00.000-05:00

Well it was a good week for marathon training. I started out the week with a 4 mile run on Monday as scheduled and then followed that up with running 4 miles on Wednesday and Friday with 2# “heavy hands”. The HH make the run more difficult and provide an increase to the cardiovascular system. I intend to keep using these in my training to make the shorter runs at least a little more challenging.

On Saturday, I headed to Mill Creek Park to get in my long run. It was still cold and I told myself before leaving for the run that if it was too bad, I would cut my run short. It was 10ْ˚ when I got out of the car. I think it was somewhere around “0” with the wind chill. Although the air was crisp, it did not feel too bad (maybe I am getting used to this weather I thought to myself).

I ran into my son and his friends in the parking lot who were there waiting for some more people to arrive. I told them I was leaving and off I went. I started off slowly and was intent to run every bit of this run and climb every hill. I decided prior to getting to the park that I was going to run my usual 10 mile loop backwards just for a little change of pace.

The first mile or so was pretty cold. My hands were cold and when running along the edge of Lake Cohasset I could feel my face tighten up as the cold air blew across the lake. I shook my hands and rubbed my face. I was dressed adequately and knew once I got going I would warm-up just fine. After the first substantial climb up Big Bear, there was not a cold spot on my body. I was actually wiping sweat from my face before it could freeze on my brow. The nice part about this section of the park is that it is closed in the winter, so there was no car traffic and it closely resembles running on trails as the roads were completely snow covered.

I cruised this entire run. I am not sure which way is easier to run, but the elevation increase/decrease would be exactly the same. Towards the end of the run I decided to add an extra loop onto my run. Instead of walking down the steel staircase on the end of Lake Glacier, I ran down Glenwood Ave. to Mahoning Ave. and made my way a few blocks east before turning down a block and heading back into the park. I added at least a mile and it felt good.

I decided when I got back to the entrance of the Rose Garden that I would pick up the pace a bit and see how it felt. I made my way down the road and could actually feel the wind hitting me harder in the face as now I was moving into a headwind. It started to snow just a bit. I put my tongue out to catch the little pieces of moisture. I tucked my head slightly and continued to drive my legs into the wind to get back to the car. I was breathing harder and the cold wind made my breath look like it was white frost coming out of my mouth. Very cool I thought. I made it back to the car in 1 hour 28 minutes for about an 11 mile run. I was happy and actually felt I could have went a little further.

I followed this long run up with an easy 4 mile run around town on Sunday. It is funny but after running in Mill Creek Park, there is no hill around town that even makes me look twice at it. In the fall when I was running around town with the cross country boys, I noticed every hill, no matter how big or small. Now I would describe McDonald as being pretty much flat.

My total miles for the week was 27
Average pace per mile 8:30
Weight still 200 but I feel lighter!
Long Run = 11 miles at Mill Creek (felt great)
Continued use of heavy hands to increase effort on short runs and strengthen my arms and upper back.
I have also incorporated stretches into my routine to loosen and strengthen my lower back. I was given some great routines to do by my physical therapist after injuring my back. So far my back feels great!

So that is week 2. I am keeping my head up and plunging forward. Next week will present me with different challenges, but I am prepared to run at various times to get my miles in. Stayed tuned for details!

Week 1 Marathon Training - Blah!

2008-01-22T09:50:00.000-05:00

Well my first week of official marathon training was anything but spectacular. In fact, it should be labeled as forgettable. I started off the week on January 14 with high aspirations of running the schedule I devised. I was pumped. I had planned on a nice easy 5 mile run after work on Monday to recover from the hard10 mile run I had done on Sunday the 13th.

Unfortunately that all changed when I arrived to work Monday morning to find that the Department of Health had arrived at our facility to do our annual Medicaid compliance survey. In simpler terms, this meant that Tronk would be working at least 50 hours this week along with coaching swimming in the evenings. So Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday amounted to leaving the house at 5:30 a.m. and returning at 9:00 p.m. Not much time (yet alone energy) to even go for a run. I chalked this week up in my mind to getting in whatever I could and start officially next week. One week can’t kill me right? I was grateful that the survey came when it did because I would rather it happen now than in the middle of my training.

So my training for this week amounted to (3) five mile runs on Friday, Saturday, and on a cold Sunday I chose to run on the treadmill (Ughhh!!!). It really sucked!

My weight remains at a steady 200 pounds. One thing I did do was try to use this week as a recovery of sorts. Since I was running less, I did some stretching in the evenings, drank plenty of water, and did some light weight exercises. Next week will be better, and I have already started off well by running my scheduled 4 easy miles on Monday the 21. Boy it was cold out there but I have told myself it is time to put up or shut up.

Continue to follow the blog for updates. It will be at least weekly but may be more frequent if I have an interesting experience that is worth telling the world wide web. See you “On the run”!

Cleveland Marathon

2008-01-13T21:31:00.000-05:00

Well, on January 10, 2008 I sent in mine and my son's application for the Cleveland marathon. This will be my first marathon since 1998 and the fifth of my life. Including the one 50k I have completed and two training runs, it will be the eighth time I ask my body to run more than 25 miles at one time. For my son Taylor, (who has a long list of running credentials) this will be his first run of this distance. My previous 4 marathons have all in been in the great city of Columbus, Ohio the first being in 1992. Since then this itch has come and gone and this is one year that I cannot ignore it. I want to run in the same race as my son on his first marathon. Although we will probably not be together, it will be fun to share the experience with a first timer and tell the many tales that follow a race of this magnitude. So on May 18, 2008 you will know where to find me. I will be toeing the line next to my son enjoying every minute of the experience.

Over the next few months I will be chronicling my training along with any other intersting things I can to throw in. One thing this blog will contain will be my weekly mileage, my body weight, training mile pace, long run for the week, and anything else that I think a reader may find worthy. So without further ado:

Total miles for this week was 25
Body Weight = 200
Training at 8:20 pace for long runs
Long Run = 10 miles ~ roads in Mill Creek (every big hill I can find)
Cross training (sort of) I started jumping rope for 2 minutes in between (8) 600 repeats - I am trying to get my heart rate increased on the days I run shorter. I also carry 2# "heavy hands" on the 600's. I also started isometrics on off days or shorter days, i.e. sit-ups, push-ups, L-seat dips, and Russian twists.

My ultimate goal is to be around 190# for this marathon. I have not been under 200 for the past 11 years! Stay posted and any words of encourgament would be greatly appreciated.

5K Jingle Bell Run 12-31-07

2008-01-01T10:18:00.000-05:00

My wife Pam, my daughter Kyrsti and I traveled over to the Canfield Fairgrounds today to run the Jingle Bell Run sponsored by the Boardman Rotary. As we were pulling in to the parking lot, we met up with my son Taylor and his friend Bobby, who runs x/c for McDonald.

(Bobby, Kyrsti, Tronk, Taylor)

I was also surprised to see Jay Layshock (Jay Lay) helping out by parking cars. Jay is a great runner who finished second this past year at the YUT-C 50K. I shook his hand, wished him a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and then the four of us went to check in. Pam does not run but acts as a great support crew holding onto everything, cheering for us during the run, and talking with all of her friends before and after the race.

This race is getting bigger and bigger every year. The first time I did this race was in 2001 and there was probably less than 100 runners. Since then, it has grown in a monster of a day and I would guess there were close t0 300 runners in the 5K and probably about 75 runners in the kids 1/2 mile. It was awesome. With the sounds of bells ringing, (each person can wear small jingle bells if they choose), it makes the run even more special. This was also the best weather I can remember at the Fairgrounds for this race. It was close to 40 degrees with only a slight wind. It was ideal.

The course itself is not fascinating. In fact, it is quite mundane. You run on the roads around the fairgrounds and basically weave back and forth and round and round. You do this loop twice, which is kind of nice because you come through the central area of people cheering twice before finishing in front of the crowd. It also lets you see other people in the race because as you are going one way, they may be going the other way. I got a chance to see my friends from work Tony and Jan and wished them encouragement as I went by.

At the end, I was satisfied with my time of 22:30. Just last month at the Firefighters 5k I ran 23:10 so I was happy to be a 40 seconds faster (although it was a completely different course). My kids both ran well and I think Taylor may have been slightly ahead of me (I am not sure as I never saw him). Here is a picture of Taylor running

I should mention one last thing about this race that brings me back every year. The swag for a 5K is tremendous. Each runner received a sweatshirt, a water bottle, coupons to Dick's Sporting Goods and a Power Bar. In addition to that, the after race refreshments are second to none, with cookies, donuts, fresh fruits, Power Bars, hot chocolate, coffee, Gatorade and bottled water. All of that provided by some of the nicest race sponsors and helpers you would ever want to meet. What a great day and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

West Branch State Park Witch Run 12-26-07

2007-12-30T20:10:00.000-05:00

I traveled with my son Taylor to West Branch this evening to meet up with Brian and Jeff Musick along with Gombu for a night trail run. We met at 5:00 and it was just starting to get dark. Last year on this exact date Brian and Jeff encountered a haunting in these woods so we thought it would be a good idea to go see for ourselves. After Brian and Jeff's experience last year, they did a little research and found out that local folklore tells a tale of a witch that was killed by the locals in these woods by piling stones on her until she died. Many people believe that she still haunts these woods today. You can read Brian's account on his blog http://brianmusick.blogspot.com/.

When Brian and Jeff arrived Taylor and I were already playing Rob Zombie, "Dragula" which lyrics go something like "Dig through ditches, burn through the witches". He thought it was cool so I did a little witch dance for him. He filmed me and I thought I looked pretty good doing my witch dance.

Anyway, we had enough fun in the parking lot so we donned our headlights and warm clothes and set out for our night trail run. I had just purchased a headlamp (Princeton Tec Quad LED)and was eager to see how it worked on the trail. It did not take long for me to find out it worked real well. Even at the lower settings, it provided plenty of light for a night blind person like myself to be able to find his way down the trail.

We ran on the trails made by CAMBA which is a mountain bike association from the Cuyahoga Valley. They have done a real nice job making and maintaining these trails. We ran deep into the woods and made so many turns and creek crossings that I was truly unsure where I was at. Gombu continued to lead and gave us directions at the intersections as he seemed to know these trails well. After about an hour, we all stopped, turned off our headlamps, and enjoyed the night sky. On this particular night you could see Mars very clearly. It was shining amber with a brilliant luster to it. We also noticed all of the other star groupings, Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Orion etc. After a short while we continued on our run.

About 15 minutes later, Gombu said he was taking off and headed for the car. We decided we were going to go a little longer so we headed directly to the spot where Brian and Jeff had encountered the witch last year. Brian wears a GPS watch so it was real easy to get to the location right down to the exact spot. We got on a trail marked for "experts only" by CAMBA and Brian informed us that this was the spot. After not feeling anything weird at all, I called out to the witch. Nothing. We ran to the end of the trail and decided to double back as this is how they experienced her last year. On the way back we walked quite a bit as the trail was rocky and slippery from the water on the ground. We still did not see or hear any witch.

Once we got back to the main road, we decided to head back. We ran for about 20 minutes and returned to the car without incident. We laughed and talked a while in the parking lot and looked at the stars some more. After sharing some Christmas cookies, it was time to part ways and head home. We had a nice 2 hour 15 minute run in the woods at night, but no sign of the witch. Oh well, there is always next year.

Christmas Morning Run

2007-12-30T19:45:00.000-05:00

I ran this morning. Not much, but enough to qualify it as a run. After opening gifts and spending the earlier part of the morning in front of a warm fire, I decided I needed to get out and do a little running to stretch my legs out after the 3 hours of running yesterday.

It was cold so I dressed for the weather, plugged in the IPod and took to the streets of McDonald. I didn't plan to do much but once I worked out the kinks in the first 20 minutes I felt like I could run all day. It was very serene in McDonald this Christmas morning. No one was out. Everyone was warm in their houses enjoying Christmas morning. I ran in the middle of the street. I cruised all the streets that run East to West which in McDonald transfers to ups and downs. It was a good run and after I got home 45 minutes later, I was glad I ran. I did not see one living person nor pass a moving car. What a weird feeling! Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve Run 2007

2007-12-26T22:27:00.000-05:00

As a member of TeamPR I have several opportunities to go on group runs with a variety of people. On the morning of Christmas Eve, 7:30 a.m. December 24th I got just that chance. I met Bob Combs (Gombu), Bill Losey (Shubi), and Jim Harris (Slim) at the Lily Pond parking lot in Mill Creek park in Youngstown, Ohio on a cold, blustery, windy morning. After we said our hellos and Merry Christmas, we decided we had better hit the trails. We started off walking, talking and catching up on each others lives. I hadn't seen Shubi in quite a long time nor had I seen Gombu much. I have the good fortune of seeing Slim at area road races with his family but we rarely have a chance to talk. So off we went.

We started by following the ridge around the top of the Lily Pond and then getting on the trail at the top of the ridge that is part of the YUT-C course. We remarked that a new sign had been placed there indicating this was trail 1. We ran and joked and tried to warm up as the wind pushed across Lake Glacier below us. This lake was aptly named on a day like this. The pace was leisurely and we enjoyed the sights, sounds and views of the park. We were quickly to the log cabin which is the hub for all the action at the YUT-C. It acts as the start and the finish for Youngstown's only Ultra Trail run. Talk quickly turned to the upcoming event in September and Gombu gave me the usual ribbing about doing it again. I reported to him that it is on my list of races for 2008 along with the Cleveland Marathon. He seemed pleased with that but reminded me of his disdain for road races by singing "Roads Suck" to the tune of "Love Stinks" by the J. Giels Band. I laughed and on we went.

We criused through the Lake Cohasset section of YUT-C and soon found ourselves on the Monkey Trail which is a great section of hill climbs and descents that take the most out of your legs. Gombu stated he wanted to try and make the first climb more gradual and have a few switchbacks in it to make it more runner friendly. After many course trials (us running in the snow on the side of a hill over fallen trees and rocks) Gombu felt he had a plan. We moved on and soon we were at Lanterman's Mill enjoying the fast moving water flowing over the falls. I thought the water looked like chocolate milk, but Slim thought more like coffee with cream.

Then comes Lake Newport. This is a section most of us don't like because there is about 1 mile of it on the road. After running the trails, it is a drag to switch over to roads. I caught myself singing Gombu's song "Roads Suck" yeah yeah! Fortunately we cruised around Newport fairly quickly (it is always better when you are running with others) and we found ourselves crossing the foot bridge to get back to the deck side of the Mill. We ran down the deck, onto the trail and quickly back up the first climb onto the Monkey Trail Extension. What a climb. It never gets easier and I tell myself I am going to start doing workouts on this trail to strengthen my legs.

Once on the Monkey Trail and traveling the other way, Gombu, Slim and Shubi start eyeballing what it looks like coming from the other way, because in the YUT-C you run the course both ways. After much debate, and more trekking on the side of the hill (more that the first time), Shubi and I decide we are going to start running again. We leave Slim and Gombu on the side of the hill debating which tree would be best to go around. Shubi and I run together from the end of the Monkey to Pioneer Pavillion and I tell Shubi that I'm going to take off (as I still have Christmas shopping to do).

Just then we see Slim and Gombu by the dam so I decide to wait a few minutes for them to catch up. Once they get there I tell them I am heading to the car which is about 5 minutes away. After some choice name calling, I am running down the trail with the three of them delaying my arrival to the car (I succumbed to peer pressure). We traveled towards Lake Glacier, came out to the road, forged our own trail into the woods and trekked to the top of the hill to find the trail on the ridge above the Lily Pond. Shubi was covered in dingleberries (burrs) and I stood and watched as he tried to pick them off. We each ran this last little section our own way. Slim ran up and down the sides of the hill like a madman, from the top to the bottom and back up. Gombu went half down right over the side of the hill and then came back up. I am not sure exactly where Shubi went but I think he was avoiding the dingleberry patch. I cruised down the main path and enjoyed the view from above the pond.

It was nice running with these guys on Christmas Eve morn. We enjoyed some good "man time" had a nice relaxed three hour run, and in the end enjoyed a nice cold adult beverage as we toasted the holiday. I think we should make this a holiday tradition and do it every year!

I AM TRONK

2007-07-28T17:01:00.000-04:00

My First Ultra YUT-C 50K September 2005

2007-07-27T10:20:00.000-04:00

A Run in Youngstown Ohio

I woke up early on Saturday September 24th, 2005. I did not sleep well with the excitement and anxiety running through my veins. At 5:30 a.m. I rolled out of bed and fixed a cup of hot tea. I wasn’t sure what to eat so I opted for some dry cereal, an apple, and an orange. That seemed to satisfy me. I took a nice long hot shower and actually caught myself pondering under the running water whether or not I could run a 50 kilometer run. I had not run this distance in over ten years. That was about 20 pounds ago. My head doubted my heart and legs abilities. This is what was scaring me the most. There is an old adage that if you can put your mind over your body, you can accomplish anything. While standing in the shower, I was having a hard time convincing my mind what the rest of my body was getting ready to do.

I could feel my pulse race just slightly every time I thought about the three loops around Mill Creek Park affectionately known as the YUT-C, I had to conquer today. From the time I wrote the check and sent in my application, I got an uneasy feeling thinking about those loops. The course was set-up by some good friends of mine and I had run each part of the course close to one hundred times. I could step over rocks without even looking at them. I knew the course like the back of my hand. The first loop is 12.5 miles and goes in a clock-wise rotation. The second loop is exactly the same as the first with the exception of one small climb being omitted and moving in a counter-clock-wise rotation. This loop is 11.75 miles. The third and final loop follows the first loop in its direction but turns around before getting to the third lake. This loop is 7.5 miles.

On every loop there is a section of the course known as the Monkey Trail and the Monkey Trail Extension. In these two sections is where you will find about a mile of unforgiving climbs that challenge your quadriceps and calves to their fullest. On the first loop this section is at about mile 2.5. On the second loop this section is at about mile 22. In the third and final loop, you go through this section at about mile 25. I told myself while standing in the shower to “get through the Monkey Trail” and “you got this thing licked”. Unfortunately that is easier said than done.

I arrived at the park at about 6:40 a.m. and had only 20 minutes before the run started. I went into the Log Cabin and saw my friend Bob “Gombu” Combs there. Bob was the run director for day. This was the first ever Youngstown Ultra Trail Classic 50K, or YUT-C as it has become known in its short existence. He was energetic and full of encouraging words when he saw me. I had many reservations about attempting this run that resulted in many long conversations with Bob. Bob and my other friend Brian Musick are the reasons I decided to give this a try. Without their encouragement, I was content to work an aid station and clap for the other runners.

Brian and Bob organized a trail running group in Mill Creek about a year ago called Team PR. While I was running in Mill Creek one Sunday morning, I came across them on the trail. They both stopped and started talking to me about joining their group. The weird thing is, as we were talking, Bob and I were staring at one another. Bob then said, “Stacy?” just as I was saying, “Bob?” Bob and I knew each other 20 years ago and as things go in your college years, people come and people go. I hadn’t seen Bob since we did a triathlon in Columbus in the late 80’s. It was great seeing him after all these years and knowing that he kept his love for the outdoors and running alive and intact. I immediately said I would love to join their group and within a week I was joining them for group runs in the park.

Now one of the bad things about running with a group is keeping up. I had labeled myself as a recreational runner and sort of kept to running the same trails over and over. I would pretend I was racing every once and a while and run the same course for time. By keeping a running log and accurate records, I could compare one run to the next and set my PR’s. Running with a group like this presented new challenges, like trying to keep up. As much as I struggled, I also enjoyed pushing myself the extra little bit.

This is an eclectic group. We have Bob and I who are both 38, we have Brian who is 24, two former YSU runners in Erin 22 and Jaclyn22 (they usually come as a pair), Bruce who is about 40 and numerous others that have joined us over the past year, including my son Taylor 16 and daughter Kyrsti 16. Brian has also convinced his younger siblings Jeff 18 and Jamie 19, who both run in college to join us. These individuals make up the core group along with Charlie who joins us occasionally.

We have fun on these runs. Every once in a while we will do the “unexplored trails run” which encompass any part of the park the leader would like to run. This can be straight up large hills, through creeks and small streams and into huge rock formations. You will realize after a run like this how challenging the park can be, but you will also be grateful you got to see a part of the park that you would have never seen had you stayed on the trail. Bob and Brian are usually the choices to lead these runs as their adventurous spirit is unmatched.

It was about 6:55 a.m. and I was getting real nervous. Not nervous like I would be if I were going to making a speech in front of a large group, but I had that funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. My head was still asking my legs “are you ready for this, because I’m not?” My legs answered back “you better be ready, because we are doing this with or without you”. The voices in my head laughed at that and I got that pain in the pit of my stomach again.

It was about that time I ran into Karen and Ed Pierson. They were my neighbors for years and then moved out of town and I didn’t see them as much. Ed and Karen are two of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. Once over the summer, my daughter and I were running in the park and came across Ed and Karen. It was then that they shared with me that they too were planning on running the YUT-C. I told them I was thinking about, but at this time I had not committed. They proceeded to tell me that they were going to be “trekkers” for the day. I told them that I was going to be “trekking” myself, and that this would be fun. I am not sure if I was trying to convince myself or them, but I don’t think I sounded too convincing.

At exactly 7:00 a.m., Bob called all of the “trekkers” to the starting line. Trekkers are defined as people who think it is going to take them longer than the standard eight hours to complete the 50K, so with permission from the run director, they are allowed to start early. It is usually assumed that trekkers will walk sections of the course, and therefore they may need an extra hour. I was glad to have the extra hour because I was still not sure what the run had in store for me today.

Jim Harris found me at the starting line and said to the group of us that he would run a short distance with us to “get us started”. Jim is one of the nicest guys to find at a race. He is helpful and genuinely concerned about how you are feeling and how you are doing. I had done a group run with him and was amazed at what great shape he was in. We talked all the way to Volney Rodgers field which is probably close to a mile from the start. He was starting his run at the official start time which was 8:00 a.m. I thanked him for joining us, he wished us all luck, and then he turned around and disappeared. The group of trekkers plodded down the trail. It was still somewhat dark as the sun was on the other side of the hill. There was fog and heavy dew on the ground that made the beginning of this run look kind of mystical. I joked with Ed and Karen for a while until they encouraged me to “not wait for them” and to “run my pace”. I said I would see them at the turn around and began to fall into my pace.

There is something about running in the park that is about 50% exciting, 25% thrilling, and 25% scary. I felt really good, but having done marathons I knew this was a feeling that could disappear quickly. I talked to myself the whole day. “Stay focused.” “Run easy.” “Walk the ups, enjoy the downs.” I chanted these things to myself and sometimes aloud all day long. I was running the trails that I had run countless numbers of times. The trails were so familiar it felt as if I was running among friends. I was gliding down the trails alone with a lot of doubts in my head.

My first trip through the Monkey Trail was beautiful, with the exception of coming across a pack of four dogs that were sizing me up. When dogs show their teeth that is usually a great sign that you are going to be bit. So without even thinking, I made an immediate left and went straight up the biggest hill that is not part of the trail. This hill was so steep that it required using both my hands and feet to climb it. During my ascent I grabbed onto a big stick and two small rocks. If these dogs were going to come after me, they were not going to get me easily. As I reached the top, I turned around to find the dogs were walking the other way and totally disinterested in me. I dropped the stick and stones and got back onto the trail. I remember thinking to myself, “as if the Monkey Trail is not tough enough, I just made it tougher.”

I made my way up to Lanterman’s Mill which is where the aid station was located. This was about four miles into the run and I was feeling really good. I saw Jaclyn there and she gave me some words of encouragement. I asked her where Erin was (they usually travel in a pair) and she told me Erin was on her way. I told her I would be back shortly after I rounded Newport Lake.

The Mill is at a location in the run that it served as an aid station for people going two directions. After getting to the Mill, you run around the third of three lakes (Lake Newport) and then catch the aid station on your way back. I took a small drink at the Mill but having only covered four miles, it was more of a hello and goodbye.

I proceeded on my run. Lake Newport is probably the largest of the three lakes in the park. At one time, it encompassed a great deal of space and was the home for egrets, ducks, and other waterfowl. Over time, the lake developed some ecological problems like “sludge” build up so it was determined by the park commission to drain some of the lake and maintain part of it as a wetland. The lake remains visually appealing and the home for numerous species of birds, but for a sweaty runner in September, wetland may as well be capital letters for Mosquito.

It was early in the morning and the mosquitoes must have been still sleeping. I cruised around the lake and was dissatisfied about running on the only section of the YUT-C that entailed a paved road surface. For about ¾ of a mile, there is no dirt trail, so you run on a paved bike trail slash one way road. It wasn’t bad, but through all of my training runs, I always find this section the worst for me to tolerate. “Just run and get back to the trail” I told myself. So I plodded along, trying to not think about the surface, but enjoying the run. Around Newport Lake is somewhere close to 5 miles. I enjoyed all of it. The sun was coming up over the horizon, the ducks were practicing take-offs and landings on the lake, and I could hear the placement of my feet with each stride. Sometimes I pretend the noise I make when running is like a chorus, and each hill is a crescendo in the music. Building, climbing, allegretto, louder, climbing, building, allegretto, louder, finally at the top and back down. Crescendo over.

I was around Newport effortlessly. It is one of the flattest sections of the YUT-C. But with that flatness you may experience boredom. You have to keep your mind and sense of adventure open. Think about what’s in front of you. Think about the next stop at the aid station. Say hello to the walkers and other park users you pass by. I was still the first person in this run (having started an hour early) so there were no other participants for me to talk to. Running alone has always been enjoyable. I can truly get away in my mind. When running trails though, you have to think about little things, like your next step. One false move and the run can be over due to an unanticipated tumble down a steep cliff or hill. Since I usually fall about twice a year and I have already taken a bad fall this year, I was determined that the YUT-C was not going to be the day I had my second fall.

I made it back to the Mill to find Erin had joined up with Jaclyn. Joe “Moose” Novicky was running the aid station and he was there also. As I was telling jokes to the girls, I noticed that the race had officially started because runners were coming from the other way and were stopping at the Mill aid station. In other words, I had traveled about nine miles and they had traveled about four. I knew it would not belong before these experienced ultra-runners would be catching up to me. I filled up my bottle and continued on my run.

The next section of the race is probably one of my favorite sections of the park. Traveling down the west side of the Mill trail is beautiful. Over looking the trail are a waterfall, the mill, and a quickly moving creek that it just gorgeous. Most people who live in Youngstown drive past the Mill everyday and never park their car and walk this trail to enjoy this beauty. If you were blind-folded and lead a person to this trail and posed them with a multiple choice question about where you were, Youngstown, Ohio would be the last answer picked. I enjoyed the long down-hill and scenery and felt like I could run like this forever.

At the bottom of the hill the trail flattens out and winds around the bend towards what is affectionately called the Silver Bridge. This bridge exemplifies everything good about Youngstown. It is made of steel, has been there forever and still looks ornate and beautiful. When you look at it, it makes you remember how prosperous and hard-working the people were in Youngstown and it brings back a sense of antiquity.

I started along the west side of Lake Cohasset Trail which is a trail that winds up and down this side of the lake. It is not tremendously difficult, but it is challenging enough. On the first loop of the YUT-C, this is the loop that has the extra section added on. It is a moderate climb that takes you up a hill onto some decking. This area of the park is known as Big Bear, and has one of the prettiest wading pools you can see from high above on the deck platform. I remember years ago running with my friend and co-worker Mark and he told me that when he was in high school cross country, his team used to make their way upstream and sit in the wading pool to cool down. Since then, every time I run pass this section I think about climbing down the steep embankment and sitting on the large rock that has water trickling over it into the wading pool. On a hot summer day, this is very tempting. “One day I just might try it” I say to myself as I trudge along the trail. Right now I have “bigger fish to fry” like running another 21 miles or so.

I start to get my head in the game and run like I used to when I was younger. I am thinking about where I am stepping and watching the trail closely, but at the same time I am day dreaming and thinking about a hot shower and finishing this thing. The next couple miles go by quickly and soon I am back to the Old Log Cabin, where this whole thing started about 2 hours and 15 minutes ago. I am 12.5 miles into this now and as expected I am feeling great. I talked briefly to Mr. Musick (Brian’s father) and a few other people who were volunteering. Everyone was so nice that it really made me feel great. I filled my bottles, ate a little something and told them I would see them in a few hours. They wished me well and I was on my way.

The second loop is nearly identical to the first loop with a few exceptions. You run this loop counterclockwise and you do not run the extra loop up to the top of Big Bear. I plodded along trying to take in the scenery and enjoy as much of the park as I could. I realized about this point that since leaving Karen and Ed nearly three hours ago, I had been running by myself the whole time. That doesn’t really bother me, but this was the first race/run I felt like I was in by myself. Just as I was feeling all alone in the woods, a runner coming the other way approached me quickly and looked up and gave me a quick hello but kept moving on. Just behind him was a younger runner who went by me as fast as the first runner. I stopped and started to walk. It was then that I realized this was the leader and the second place runner. They had narrowed my one hour lead to about 3 miles. . “Stay focused.” “Run easy.” “Walk the ups, enjoy the downs.” I kept saying to myself. I picked it back up to a comfortable pace and started looking forward to the other runners that were sure to be coming from the other direction.

And come they did. Other runners kept coming, sometimes one at a time, sometimes in pairs, and sometimes in small groups. It was at this point that I got to see how many people were actually out here doing the same crazy thing I was. Many of them mistook me for the leader, as I was the first person they saw coming the other way, and many of them weren’t even at the park when I left at 7:00 a.m. As I passed by and saw the look of confusion on some of their faces, I would purposely exclaim, “I am not the leader…… I am a trekker.” Many looked puzzled by this, but what the heck, it was keeping me entertained and I chuckled to myself as I continued on down the trail.

The next four miles breezed by relatively easily as I thought it would. I was on my favorite trail and the most popular route that I would run when practicing. This gives you a real sense of comfort when you have been running 16 miles and know that you have 15 more to go. Just before I got to the covered bridge for the third time, the leader and the guy in second place came from behind me and passed me effortlessly. Again a quick hello and they were gone.

Now I am by no means a sprinter, a 6:00 minute miler or even a 7:00 minute miler, but I do run fairly decent for a 38 year old man who weighs close to 200 pounds. These two passed me like they were running the 100 meter dash. Again I started to walk and watch in amazement as they went by at this torrid pace. I smiled, shook my head, and picked it back up.

When I got to the covered bridge, the aid station had grown into a full fledged restaurant that had pretty much any type of food you could want. I stood in amazement taking it all in. I took in some Hammer Gel, drank Gatorade, and ate some pretzels, cookies and some Tostitos. I wasn’t real sure about what was going to settle where in my stomach, so I only ate very small amounts of each. I drank two large cups of Gatorade and another cup of water. I filled my bottle that was on my waist pack and took off for the last loop around Lake Newport.

This time around Newport would be trails first and then the road section. Of all the parts of the park, this was my least favorite. I don’t know why it was, but for some reason I just grew tired of running this section every time I was on it. I ran the trail part of it pretty well. I could feel myself starting to fatigue a little, so I tried to slow my pace and conserve energy as much as possible. I got ¾ of the way around the lake and got back to the road section. About one and a half miles from here and I would be back to the covered bridge and back to my comfort zone.

Just as I emerged from the trail, a lady pushing a baby jogger went by on the road. She was just in from of me, so I thought I would catch up to her to give me someone to run with. I pushed the pace a little and came up along side of her. She smiled and turned her head to look forward as if I was just passing by. After a few strides, she turned again and I was still there. Now picture this in your mind. Here is a house-wife type who looked like she showered, perfumed, put on her make-up, got in her best designer running clothes and decided to take baby for a run in the park. Just as she is thinking what home-cooked meal she is going to make for her husband that night for dinner, a smelly, muddy ultra-marathoner comes out of no where and decides to shoulder up next to her. She smiled politely and I casually asked her, “you going all the way around?” She said she was so I asked her if she wanted some company. Since she probably felt like she had no choice, she said “sure”. I smiled to myself for a brief moment and was content that I finally had someone to run with.

In my twenty five years of running I have learned many lessons along the way. One big lesson I learned was to never underestimate anyone. They are all faster than they look. I once had a 60 year old man blow by me in the last 100 yards of a 10K to run like 37:00 minutes. This house-wife was no softie. She ran well and maintained a pace as well as she maintained her make-up. We did get to talking (as I have the knack to be able to talk to anyone), and it turns out we had some mutual acquaintances. After a short while, she looked down and saw that I had a race number on my race belt. She immediately looked surprised and asked what I was doing. I gave her the “Reader’s Digest” version of the race and she could not believe it. She then apologized for holding me back and I assured her that her pace was quite perfect and the company was priceless. She kept saying, “You’re in a race right now?” I kept saying “yes, but I am a trekker, this is a long run.” She kept shaking her head saying, “That is crazy.” Sadly, I got back to the point where the trail meets the road and I told her I had to split. She said goodbye, wished me luck, and I told her thanks.

I got back to the trail and quickly had to remind my legs that no more asphalt for them today. I got my mind back to looking at rocks, roots, and single track, rugged terrain. I got back to the covered bridge and by this time I was starting to feel some discomfort in my lower back and calves. One of the guys at the aid station asked me if I was taking in any salt. I said, “No. Why am I supposed to?” He said that I should be and offered me some e-caps. I swallowed a couple of them and he opened up a few more and poured them into my drink. I shook it up and tasted the salty mixture. Weird enough was it to be dumping salt into my drink, but even weirder that I thought it tasted pretty good. I generally don’t use salt on anything, especially in my drink. I ate a few more snacks, poured some Hammer Gel down my throat and got back to the mission at hand. The next section was downhill on some decking that runs under the Mill and to the trail that follows the stream. I again started to enjoy this, but all the while thinking of the Monkey Trail and Extension that was quickly approaching.

I crossed the road and made my way up the first hill to the top of the Monkey Trail. I could feel my legs pulling and cramping from this extreme climb and I was content to walk all the way to the top. A few other runners passed me on the way up and offered encouragement. I appreciated that immensely. I got to the top and into the small clearing. That part was over but I did not feel relieved. I still had the Extension to contend with, and it would be no small chore based on how I felt on that last climb. I was now at about mile 22 and five and a half hours into it.

I entered into the extension section of the trail and decided that this was going to be a “steady as you go” section and that I would walk when I had to, jog when I could, and run if possible. It all made sense too me, now I just had to convince my mind, my legs, and the rest of my body. My spirit would not be broken today. Going downhill did not feel too bad as my legs shook and dripped with both sweat and dirt. I balanced precariously as I lowered myself down the first big hill. At the bottom of this hill is a steep climb on the other side that forms a large culvert down the middle. It was here that things were about to change the rest of my day.

I stepped across a few big rocks and was switching my feet to get prepared for the first step up when the foot I was standing on slid off the rock and left me crashing down on top of the large rocks. As I lay there for what seemed forever, I noticed how blue the sky was. How clear and cool it was. I heard people walking on the more traveled, better groomed trail that ran parallel to the trail I was on. Their dog was playing in the water and they were two young people holding hands, laughing and not a care in the world. I quickly assessed the damage. Toes move…. Check. Knees bend…… Check. Hips creek (that’s normal)…… Check. Arms go up and hands grasp…… Check. Neck moves……. Check. “Okay big guy” I say to myself, “get up, you are all right”. I get to my knees, and then stand back upright. Everything is apparently normal, so I let out a curse at the rock (it didn’t care) and decide that if I am going to get this done, I need to get moving.

I wiped the blood off my knee and take the first step up the hill. Ouch! The cramps in the back of my legs just introduced themselves to my brain. My brain says, “I don’t want to hear it, just get up the hill”. I keep walking and before I know it I am up the hill and now moving about the extension. Get me to the Cohasset trail I tell my legs and I will be where I feel comfortable again. After about 15 minutes, I reach Cohasset and decide to reward myself with a 5 minute walk to stretch everything back out.

I had just started to jog again when Jim “Slim” Harris shows up again running along with a lady. We exchange pleasantries and Jim asks me how it’s going? I tell him not too good and explain about the fall and the impeding cramps. He gives me a few salt pills and tells me to make sure I get more at the next aid station, which is about 3 miles away. I thank him over and over and quickly he is gone as fast as he came. I keep telling myself to run and I manage to run all the flat and downhill sections back to the aid station, walking only when the hills made the back of my legs hurt.

At the aid station I was hurting. The encouragement I received from Gombu and Mr. Musick were enough to make me feel like I could run one-hundred miles today, but in my mind I was telling myself only 7.5 more. One more loop. This will be nothing compared to the first two loops, as I am done going around Lake Newport. It was then that I thought to myself, “If I have to crawl around this stinking course, I will complete this run today”.

One of the factors that kept me going oddly enough was the fact that Gombu had promised to assign me a trail name after I completed my first Ultra. I took this as the ultimate initiation and decided that I would have a trail nickname before the day was over or I could never show myself on a trail in Youngstown again. Now to the average person, a trail nickname would sound very insignificant, but to me it meant the world. I run with a bunch of great people with trail names like Gombu, Little Pebble, Shubi, Moose, McMoose and Slim, so being assigned a name is a right of passage into an honorable fraternity.

Just as I was leaving the Log Cabin for the last time, I was running by Bill Losey (Shubi) who is a friend of Gombu, was standing on the road cheering and he looked me in the eye and said, “Let’s go Super Sport, one more loop to go”. I ran by him thinking to myself, “What did he say to me”. I got around the bend and stopped and then realized I had just been indoctrinated into the Ultra group with my new nickname. With my initials being SS, it was only appropriate that Gombu incorporated that into my trail name. I liked it. The irony is that usually a Supersport when referring to an automobile implies a fast ride. I am anything but. I chuckled to myself as thoughts went through my head. “I can be the first diesel Super Sport in the Ultra running world”.

I picked it up as much as I could and managed to “run” down the road to the long set of steps I first climbed at 7:00. It was now about 1:15 in the afternoon and I had been on my feet for over six hours. I crossed through the Volney Rodgers section and there were crowds of people cheering for several midget football games going on. Cheerleaders were cheering, fans were clapping, parents were screaming. In my mind, I pretended they were cheering for me. Anything to motivate I thought as I plodded onto the trail along Glacier for the last time today. This section was mostly downhill and I enjoyed it as much as possible. The tall foliage above me was giving way to sunlight and the day had warmed up much more than I thought it would have.

I made my way along the lake and proceeded down to Pioneer Pavilion. Auto pilot I told myself. This is like my back yard. I had run this section of trail more than any and aside from one more trip through the Monkey Trail, the blood dripping down my leg, the cramping in my back and both legs, nothing was going to stop me. I got on the East Cohasset trail and began the run along this beautiful lake. It was there that I had seen Jim “Slim” Harris only a half hour earlier. That seemed like a day ago. Once again I was all alone and wondering how do I always manage to end up by myself. As I looked to my right out over the water, I saw the Blue Heron standing near the shore as majestic as he can be. I stopped and watched. I have always felt this great bird was like the “king” of the water in the park and how lucky I was to have spotted him today. After a short time, I said goodbye to my old friend and got back to the pace.

Through this section I am having a lot of difficulty running for any length of time without my calves contorting and cramping to some unusual shapes. The pain is almost intolerable but walking seems to be okay. My legs are shot and I have about five miles left to complete my day. As I start to enter the Monkey Trail for the third and final time, Brian (Little Pebble) and another guy come up from behind me. Brian encourages me to run with him, but I don’t have it. My legs are tired, sore, burning and starting to bottom out. I tell him to go ahead and ensure him that I will see him at the finish line. He gives me encouragement and the two of them are gone. I trudge up and down the hills of the Monkey and curse my legs for there unwillingness to cooperate with what my brain wants them to do. This is what I feared in the shower this morning and now it is my brains job to prevent it from happening.

I get through the Monkey section very slowly and finally arrive on the section of trail that runs up to the covered bridge aid station. This is mostly on a deck overlooking the gorge and is easy running compared to the semi-technical single track I have been on all day. I jog the deck, walk the stairs and make my way up the final rest stop before the finish. As I approach the Mill, I start to pick the pace up in anticipation of getting some food and drink and get the worst cramp of my life about 100 yards from the bridge. A female runner comes up from behind and says, “You okay?” I say, “I have felt better, check out my right calf.” As she looks down at my leg, my right calf is so contorted that most of the muscle is being pulled in toward the bone and has shifted to the inside of my leg and the whole thing is pulsating constantly. She gives me a weird look and says, “I have never seen anything like that before.”

I stand along the fence and stretch and massage my leg as much as I can. Like a defeated warrior, I hobble to the aid station all the while thinking that I have to hurry if I am going to finish this thing under 8:00 hours. At the aid station, I get more encouragement to keep going….. Press through it……. It will get better. I shake my head, dump a bunch of empty calories down my throat, consume some salt and say my final goodbye. My water bottle is full and I am now embarking on the best part of the trail. A smile creeps out of the corner of my mouth like the cat that ate the canary. No more Monkey Trail. I walk the hill leaving the aid station and begin to get myself psyched for the final push.

I jog down the west side of the Mill trail and enjoy every rock jutting off of the large hill. It is warm, sunny and I start to appreciate everything about the park. I pass a few people out hiking the trail and say hello as I pass by. My legs are tight and hurt but they will not let me down today. I keep focused on the trail and put the most determined look I can on my face. I may not feel very good, but to the average person that sees me, I look real confident in my ability.

As I trudge down the trail I am careful not to trip and fall as I know this will do me in for the day. My feet do not come as far off the ground as they were this morning and I am weary or catching a root or rock and pitching forward. I concentrate. I look at my watch and realize that I have about 25 minutes to make it to the Log Cabin, aka the finish line to get in under the eight hour limit. Even though I am a trekker, in the back of my mind my goal was to finish under the eight hour limit. Hopefully I will be done by 3:00. I pass Pioneer Pavilion and estimate that I have about a mile and a half to get to the finish. If I stay at this pace, don’t cramp or fall I should make it. I continue on down the trail.

A few runners pass me on the way to the Log Cabin and I wish them well as they go by. These are more experienced trail runners and offer me encouraging words as they pass. I keep my eye on the prize and trudge forward. I pass by the area of the Lily Pond and think to myself that I have one last steep climb and I will have this run licked. I grit me teeth and dig into the hill before me. Since I run in the park a lot, I kind of feel like I know the hills and this one was a good friend of mine. I placed my feet in all the right holes and actually caught myself stretching my calves as I ascended the steep climb. It seemed like in no time I had conquered this hill and again I was on my way. The remaining trail winds up along the ridge that runs parallel to the prettiest of the three lakes. Lake Glacier is absolutely beautiful and from this elevation I actually thought for a moment of running down the steep hill and jumping in. This lake has a boat house, fishing docks, and provides the backdrop for the Rose Garden that sits atop of the hill.

I move on thinking about the glory that lies ahead. I have less than a mile and about 18 minutes left to get in under the 8 hours. I smile to myself. My brain sends the signal to the legs that we have made it and to press on to the finish. I pick it up just a little bit and suddenly I am hit with a sharp pain in the right calf. Another cramp like the one at the last aid station has just bit me hard. I have taken so many salt tablets that I find it hard to believe that I am dehydrated. I wipe my face and feel the salty granules all over my face. What a weird feeling. I start walking in an attempt to stretch this thing back out. It hurts but the pain is tolerable. I walk for a few minutes and then break into a jog. I am moving. I look back at my watch and I now have about 13 minutes to get in under the goal time.

As the trail starts to descend back towards the Log Cabin I can’t help but pick up the pace. I emerge from the woods and can now see people standing near the road by the Log Cabin. I look at my watch again (I am a little obsessive that way) and know that I have made it barring getting run over by a car when I get to the road. I can now see the “finish line” and give it all I got, which is not very much right now. I am running “hard” but believe me I am not moving very fast. As I approach the line, the other runners that have already finished along with the small group of spectators begin to clap and cheer. As I cross the line, Mr. Musick exclaims 7:51.00. I smile and chuckle to myself. I have just completed running the most consecutive miles in my life since 1994.

The group of ultra-runners is not exclusive. As a first timer, the support of all of the people in the run was amazing. Most people that participate in runs like this are still figuring out their own plans on what works for them, what doesn’t, and what can they do differently next time to have a more positive outcome. I spent nearly eight hours on the trails in a Metro-park in Youngstown Ohio on this day and challenged my body and my mind to the limit. I don’t know where else you can get this feeling in everyday life. This most likely is the explanation to why ultra runners do it. It’s not for the bravado or to strut their own stuff, but to find themselves within themselves. I look forward to my next ultra. Who knows, maybe a 50 miler?

A Short Story

2007-07-27T09:06:00.000-04:00

I have been running for nearly 27 years. I have had some of the most unusual runs over that time. Some that included climbing trees to elude dogs to the most mundane runs that I almost ran into a parked car as I was half asleep.

Running to me has always been an escape. I tell myself before going out the door that no one or nothing can bother me for the next hour. Unfortunately this theory does not always hold true.

It was an unusually bright, sunny clear day in Northeast Ohio. Unusual in the sense that most days in this part of the world the skies are gray and overcast with very little sunlight. When we see the bright yellow ball in the sky that most people refer to as the sun, we think the earth is being hit by a meteor from outer space.

I strapped on my running shoes, grabbed a water bottle, and headed for the park. Mill Creek Park is one of the best kept secrets in Youngstown, Ohio. Nestled in the downtown area, it incorporates endless miles of well kept trails for a runner to loose themselves on. I set out for one of my favorite courses, a little bit of hills, a little flat speed work, a lot of scenery.

Not 10 minutes into the run, I passed a group of high school cross-country runners that were going the other way. Shortly after that, I came across a man who was walking around aimlessly looking at the ground. As I bounced toward him, I was trying to figure out if he was crying, hurt, lost, or just plain crazy. The closer I got, the more confused he looked. I pushed the button on the watch and stopped to see what he was doing. He started to tell me that he was walking on the trail and realized when he reached his car that he no longer had his cell phone with him. I said, “I come out here to get away from it all, don’t you?” He said, “I just carry it with me, but it was turned off.”

Now I am probably one of the ten Americans that do not own a cell phone. I figure that if I need to talk to someone, I will use a payphone. If they need to talk to me, they can call me at home or work, e-mail me, or come on over. If I am out, it is because I am “getting away from it all”.

After giving this guy a troubled look, as I now realized he is taking away my run time, I say, “well where were you?” He chuckles, “here, there, and everywhere.” I respond, “well, we are here, I am going over there, and you can go everywhere else.” He laughed, but then looked puzzled again as I pushed the button on my watch and started to run away from him, back to my “time away.” As I bebop down the trail, he yells something to me about where his car is and how to get the phone back to him if I find it. I wave in acknowledgment, not really listening to what he said.

“Ah, back to my peaceful time away” I think to myself. I am now about 10 minutes behind schedule and decide that I will try to push it a little harder for a mile or two to get “back on track”. Running harder has always felt good to me. I don’t normally run hard except when racing, as I am usually more interested in just unwinding and taking in the scenery. I am not a serious racer anymore, and in fact I only enter races to meet interesting people before, during and after the race. I have evolved into what they call a true recreational runner.

As I proceed on my run, I half purposefully look at the ground thinking about this guy’s cell phone. I figure with all of the leaves on the ground, the rocks, and the foliage, the chances of finding this phone is about as likely as finding the proverbial needle in the haystack.

I reached the mill, which is about the half way point of my run, and I decide to refill my water bottle as the sun has made the run hotter than I expected. I leaned over the fountain, and there it was, a bright and shiny cell phone. I looked around but no one was there. It has to be the man’s phone who I met on the trail. I started to go through the conversation we had, and what he was saying as I was running away from him. I remember him saying something about the boat docks at Glacier Lake.

I thought for a moment, and decided that I would head that way and see if I could catch up to him. I began a tempo run and picked up each mile as I went. Glacier Lake was about five miles away from the mill on the trails, and I already had about four miles in. From Glacier, it was about three miles back to my car. I stretched my legs out as I hurdled rocks, puddles, and logs. I began to feel like a cross country runner in high school again.

Running on the trails always feels faster than the road. The constant change of speed, direction, leg motion, and momentum can give you the feeling that you’re flying! As I was “flying” my way down the trail, to be the rescuer of the lost cellular phone, the same group of high school cross country runners came up on me and passed me as if I was standing still. They nodded as they went by; each finely tuned and poised to run 5:30 miles all through the park. I came to a screeching halt. Recreational runner extremist or not, these “kids” going past me as I felt like I was flying was troubling. Age is catching up to me I thought.

Back to the crisis…..the cell phone. I made it to Glacier Lake in about 41 minutes. Not too bad as I patted myself on the back, somewhere around 8:00 minute miles. I started to look through the parking lots for the man. I did not remember what kind of car he said he drove, so I went from one parking lot to the next. As I was running down the long side of the lake, I saw the high school runners stretching and cooling down. Grinning as I strode by them, I was thinking of the story of the tortoise and the hare.

As I entered the last parking lot, my legs were now pretty well tired. I had run over nine miles, most of it harder than I had anticipated, and I still had about three miles back to my car. Standing along side his car, with the same puzzled look on his face was the man from the trail. I ran up to him and asked, “did you find your phone?” He replied, “nope, but I am sure it will turn up.” I then smiled and said, “Is this it?” He laughed and said, “Where did you find it?”
I then explained where I had found it and hoped that he would offer me a ride back to my car. He thanked me over and over and even offered me a reward. I declined, and told him that I had to be going.

I am 40 years old and stopping and starting is not as easy as it once was. I had talked to the guy for about 10 minutes, so my legs were good and stiff now. I started to run like the last leg of the triathlon, after pedaling 30 miles. My legs were moving, but I had to think about every step. I believe I was even grimacing at times. I thought to myself, three miles is nothing, after completing an ultra-marathon last fall, (this is my battle cry every time I get tired now).

About a half mile down the road, I passed the parking lot where the cross country runners were getting into their cars. I glanced up and I could hear one of the runners say, “that guy is a machine, he is still running!” Another shouted out, “keep it going buddy, you’re looking good!”. Still another said something like “I hope I am running like him when I get older.”

Adrenaline surged through my sore body. I picked it up. “Tempo run” I thought. I am a machine. I look good. I am a flying recreational running machine who looks good after 11 miles. I just love running.

Just Starting Out:

2007-07-26T18:22:00.000-04:00

This is my first attempt at making a "blog" and at doing anything remotely technical. I have sent two text messages in my life and they each took me about 30 minutes to figure out how to do. I will keep this page updated with my exploits, such as running, swimming, biking, backpacking, traveling, coaching, firefighting, and anything else I may try. As you can below, I have a boy and a girl (twins) who will be freshman in college this year. They too will be included in my blog. Last and certainly not least, I will include my lovely wife on this blog, (as soon as I take a picture of her with the digital camera). Hope you like it!

My Ride "Elle"

2007-07-26T18:16:00.000-04:00

Taylor State Champion!

2007-07-26T18:03:00.000-04:00

This was Taylor's second year on the varsity team for McDonald High School and he helped his team win the State Championship for Division III. Although he never won another state championship, he went on to place in the top 20 his next two seasons and make All-Ohio. He will be running cross country this fall at Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio.

Kyrsti Signing National Letter of Intent

2007-07-26T17:59:00.000-04:00

After six years of running track and cross country for McDonald High School, my daughter Kyrsti signed a letter of intent to run for Seton Hill University in Greensburg PA. She will be running for the Griffin's starting in the fall of 2007. She is seen here with her high school coach Mike Richards and his son on the day she signed her letter.

My best friend Scott and I at Kinzua overlooking a vista

2007-07-26T16:21:00.000-04:00

My Son and I backpacking Minister Creek in Kinzua PA

2007-07-26T16:19:00.000-04:00